"Jericho and the Prince of Peace"

Sermon by Pastor David Layman

for "Early in the Morning" worship

Quaker Hill June 24, 2007

Joshua 6:2-5, 20-21

Matthew 5:38-46

There are passages in the Bible that the modern reader finds disturbing. For example, one of this past week's Vacation Bible School stories was about Joshua fighting the battle of Jericho. Joshua 6:21 tells us "They devoted to destruction by the edge of the sword all in the city, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep , and donkeys." Only Rahab, who had hidden Joshua's spies, and her family were spared. When atheists and skeptics want to make an argument against the Bible and the Christian faith, they invariably point to passages which relate to the bloody conquest of the promised land. In Bible school, we talked about how the walls of Jericho crumbled. We didn't talk about the bloody conquest of its residents before the children of Israel took over. How are we to deal with the violent passages we find in the Bible, especially, the Old Testament?

We need to acknowledge we live in a pretty violent culture ourselves. There's an awful amount of domestic violence in America. Some American cities are among the most dangerous places in the world. Drive by shootings in urban America are a sad reality. There are an awful lot of violent and gruesome movies playing at the cinema. There are terribly violent video games. One can hardly peruse a good sports section without reading of some athlete who is dropped from a college team or fined by his professional team for acts of violence. Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger have had successful movie careers based on violence. We live in a violent world, and the Middle East is perhaps the most violent part of our troubled world. Terrorist attacks have brought the violence home to our shores. We worry about and pray for our troops sent into the fray. And think of the people whose country is riven with strife and bombings!

In American history, our nation did not become independent by nonviolent protests. And the American Civil War was by far the bloodiest war in our history, where Americans from one section of our country were killing Americans from another section. It wasn't long ago, we read the terrible news of a 16 year old girl being murdered in Cambridge City. Then there was a personal opinion sent in by a reader, that said in effect, "I wish they would give me a few minutes alone with the man who committed this terrible crime. It would be the last crime he'd commit." Deep passions are aroused in most all of us when we think of people being victimized. Before we attack the Old Testament for the violence within it, perhaps we ought to consider our American history, and the violent world we live in today.

Dr. A. B. Rhodes deals with the violence of the conquest of Palestine by pointing out "The fullness of God's revelation was not made in Joshua's day." (p. 104, Mighty Acts of God). Jesus brought the fulness of God's revelation. We don't teach calculus to first graders, and the ethical instruction of God provided his people was progressive. In the New Testament, Jesus commands "You have heard it said 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also..." (Matthew 5:38-39) In Jesus' day, many Jews, including the Zealots, wanted to rebel against the despised Romans with a bloody revolution, driving them from Palestine. In fact, such a rebellion took place in 66 AD, some thirty years after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. This rebellion, which Christians did not participate in, resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and total defeat. Jesus did not use his miraculous powers to spare his life, or to kill those who sent him to the cross. Jesus took the violence of sin and death upon himself, and prayed for his persecutors, "Father, forgive them. They know not what they do." For many, the violence of the Bible is not as troubling as the forgiveness of Jesus and his willingness to turn the other cheek!

Sometimes we want to oversimplify and say the Old Testament is a book of violence, and in the New Testament, we find a God of mercy and love. But in Exodus 34:6, God is spoken of as compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. The prophet Jonah wants to see despised Ninevah destroyed, and is put out when Ninevah repents and is spared. Jonah declares to God "That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God." (4:2) God's judgment and love can be found within both the Old and New Testaments. But in the Old Testament, God's judgment is more often mediated through nations. There are times when God uses the Midianites or the Assyrians to punish the Israelites, for example. In the New Testament, God's judgment is spoken of more in relation to the end of history and the resurrection of the dead. The New Testament focusses more on judgment taking place beyond history, when Christ returns.

Jesus Christ came proclaiming grace and love, but when his grace and love is rejected, there is judgment. Jesus spoke of a last judgment, and of how those who refused God's grace would face God's judgment. Jesus said "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believes in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea." Matthew 18:6. That sounds like judgment to me! We read in Romans 12:17 & following "Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of al. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay,says the Lord.'" Paul is quoting from Deuteronomy 32:35.

Although we have pointed out that God's command to take the promised land by force was superseded by the message and ministry of Jesus, it remains troubling to some. Questions concerning the use of force and violence always need to be asked. Some of Richmond's earliest settlers were Quakers, pacifists. The Church of the Brethren has a similar pacifist approach. It is a voice that always needs to be heard. When God says "Vengeance is mine", as far back as Old Testament times, we need to think long and hard before we discern God is asking us to participate in acts of violence against those who are wreaking violence! But few would deny the importance of police to use violence to limit a greater violence. And also the use of violence to stop a regime such as the Nazis of Hitler's Germany.

When God says "Vengeance is mine, I will repay", that raises the question of whether we truly believe in God's ultimate justice. The end result of human beings taking vengeance into their own hands is invariably the seemingly unending violence we see in the Middle East. Mitsuo Fuchida was the lead pilot of the 360 planes that attacked Pearl Harbor. He gave the order to attack, and then shouted the famous attack signal, Tora! Tora! Tora! Shortly after World War II ended, Fuchida spoke to a friend who had been captured and then imprisoned in the U.S. His friend spoke of how well he had been treated, especially by one 18 year old volunteer, Peggy Covell. When the prisoners asked why Peggy had been so helpful, she replied "Because Japanese soldiers killed my parents." She explained that her parents were missionary teachers in Japan at the beginning of the war. They fled, only to be captured in the Philippines. They were judged to be spies, and while kneeling in prayer, were beheaded. When Peggy heard about this three years later in the states, she was filled with hate. But she concluded her parents must have forgiven their killers. Now God was asking her to forgive, and show it.

This story astounded Fuchida. While awaiting a train in Tokyo in 1948, Fuchida was handed a leaflet by an American, Jake DeShazer, an American flier who participated in the famed "Doolitte Raid" over Japan. DeShazer was imprisoned in Japan, but after the war became an evangelist there. Fuchida read the flier, bought a Bible, and later began to read it. Christ's prayer from the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:24) gripped Fuchida. He wept as he realized Jesus had prayed and died for him. In September of 1949, Fuchida accepted Christ as his Savior. Fuchida and DeShazer went on to speak together and separately about Jesus. Two enemies, who through war and subsequent peace, had good reason to hate, were found by the love of Christ! (David Seamands, "The Kamikaze of God", Christianity Today, December 3, 2001, pp. 58-60.)

May that love find us violent-prone human beings, both here and throughout the world!

CLICK HERE TO GO BACK TO THE START OF THE MAIN PAGE OR use the "Back button" on your browser to get back to where you left the main page.