SCRIPTURE: 2 Chronicles 15
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul. They agreed that anyone who refused to seek the Lord, the God of Israel, would be put to death—whether young or old, man or woman. [2 Chronicles 15:12-13]
There was a time when a passage like this was easy for me to read – God calls His people to be loyal to Him, and they covenant to being loyal to Him!
But as I read this with a non-christian’s perspective in mind, I am drawn to the part about putting to death everyone who refused to be loyal to God.
If we talked about this today, we would be branded extremists and terrorists; this is exactly the mindset that is leading to the religious terrorism we are facing today.
How do we make sense of this?
As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival. But the people of the village did not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them. So they went on to another village. [Luke 9:51-56]
This attitude has been common throughout the centuries, even Jesus’ disciples thought this way.
Does loyalty to God require us to mete out judgment to those who resist Him?
Without ignoring the fact that such violence is found in the bible – or in particular in the old testament – I see how Jesus handled this – He turned and rebuked them!
Jesus speaks of loving our enemies, praying for those that persecute us; He encourages turning the other cheek and going the extra mile – if we want to be like our Father in heaven [Matthew 5:43-48].
So either Jesus is wrong about God, or the idea of bloody justice is not God’s ultimate desire and plan.
Then why does it seem to be accepted and even encouraged in the old testament?
Why does this chapter present “bloody justice” as a model of covenant faithfulness to God?
This is a very hard question; there is no doubt that the old testament presents violence and bloodshed in ways that seem contrary to Jesus’ way, and more akin to what James and John suggested.
I do not have the final answer, but here are some thoughts:
- God is working in the context of a sinful, messed up world, and such violence is unavoidable.
- God limits how He works in this world to working through sinful human beings.
- At that time, in that context, such violence was unavoidable.
- God makes allowances for human depravity for a season, until Jesus comes!
- The old testament was a necessary stage in God’s unfolding plan, but Jesus is true expression of God’s heart.
- The bible (old testament and new testament) is inspired by God THROUGH sinful human beings who do shape what they write through their personalities.
None of these ideas explain away the difficulty, they are just observations that help me process what I read.
The final answer for me is that somehow it makes sense, and that Jesus is the final and best revelation of God’s heart.
Therefore I do not vow to kill everyone who does not serve God; I do not call down fire on those who reject Jesus or His message; I love them, pray for them, serve them, just as Jesus did!
This is how our loyalty to God is shown today!
PRAYER:
Lord, help me to be loyal to You in a way that honours You and helps others. May I not be a loving, not violent, witness to Your message!
‘If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them.’ This is heart work. This is the heart of the matter. Love God. Love man. Be a living example – Christian by name. Christian by what I say and do. Christian by our love. A living letter, read by all, living for Jesus.
May my heart also be fully committed to the Lord all the days of my life. May I too be dedicated to His service in all what I do and say.
1. Make me a channel of your peace:
Where there is hatred, let me bring you love;
Where there is injury, your healing pow’r,
And where there’s doubt, true faith in you.
2. Make me a channel of your peace:
Where there’s despair in life let me bring hope;
Where there is darkness, – only light,
And where there’s sadness, ever joy.
3. O Spirit, grant that I may never seek
So much to be consolded as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love with all my soul – .
4. Make me a channel of your peace.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
In giving to all that we receive,
And in dying that we’re born to eternal life.