Lynch has written a book that challenged me as I struggle with some of the hard passages in the BIble. There is a lot I will need to go back, reread, and consider. There are several things I really appreciated about the book. Lynch reminds us to set these passages within the over-riding arc of the Bible and how it shows God's love. And, even after many pages giving insight into how we read and interpret some of the violent passages in the Old Testament, Lynch had the humility to say that there is much mystery. A book for people who are willing to face questions and wrestle with them.

If you're looking for a black and white response to "why was God so violent in the Bible" you won't find it here. What you will find is a highly readable, well-researched discussion about how theologians have answered this question over time, how to place our own opinions within this greater narrative, and what to do with our conclusions.

This book is meant to teach us how to read these passages, and why a proper method of reading helps form our faith.

A terrific book for discussion in small groups or as an entire church.

I think there is a lot to be gained from this book. It’s immensely detailed and could be the basis for an entire course. Really helpful and needed in this time.

"Flood and Fury: Old Testament Violence and the Shalom of God" is a theological book that examines the themes of violence and shalom in the Old Testament. The author, Matthew J. Lynch, argues that the Old Testament presents a complex and nuanced view of violence that is often overlooked or oversimplified in contemporary discourse.

Lynch explores the concept of shalom, a Hebrew word that is often translated as "peace" but has a broader meaning of wholeness, completeness, and well-being. He argues that shalom is central to the Old Testament's vision of God's kingdom and that violence is not an end in itself but a means to achieve shalom.

The book delves into specific examples of violence in the Old Testament, such as the flood narrative in Genesis and the conquest of Canaan. Lynch examines these stories in their historical and literary context, arguing that they must be read in light of the broader themes of shalom and God's justice.

Overall, "Flood and Fury" offers a thought-provoking and nuanced perspective on the Old Testament's portrayal of violence and shalom. It is a valuable resource for anyone interested in theology, biblical studies, or social justice.

I didn't really agree with all the positions on a lot of things, though others may find it appealing, but I do appreciate the author's work he put into it.

Since "Portraying Violence in the Hebrew Bible" was released in 2022, I have been waiting for Matthew Lynch to write this book that addresses the ethically and morally concerning texts regarding the flood and conquest. These texts have led some to claim the God of the Bible is a vindictive, genocidal bully. Is that a reasonable conclusion or is there something else going on? Lynch's stated objective is to help the reader connect to the Bible, and a world, that is full of violence, "but also full of beauty and life." Lynch also aims to assist the reader encounter the mercy and compassion of God in the broader narrative context of these troubling texts. In my view, he addresses the accusations and achieves his stated objectives.

There is much to like and recommend in this book. Lynch's position is honouring both the character of God and the truthfulness of Scripture. The book has four parts that I would paraphrase as follows:
1. Framing the problem
2. Creation and Flood
3. Conquest
4. The Old Testament and the Character of God.

There are no cliche, shallow answers offered anywhere in this book. Having read many books addressing the so-called "texts of terror" in recent years, I find Matt Lynch's position persuasive, faithful and sensible. I particularly enjoyed the way the author framed the problem and the challenges of resolving the problem in a way that did not "burn the house of faith down". The chapter on addressing giants was also very good.

This book is essential reading for anyone trying to get their heads and hearts around flood and conquest narratives in the Hebrew Scriptures. I would add that this book is also essential reading for anyone studying or teaching the Old Testament. The book is extensively footnoted and yet entirely accessible. I also enjoyed the author's personal stories that helped connect and ground this work in the realities of human experience. I will be recommending this book enthusiastically.

How do we deal with the problematic texts in the Old Testament? Why does the God of the Old Testament condone violence? How do we make sense of the Stunned by a question about violence in the Old Testament, author-professor Matthew Lynch aims to address these challenging questions head-on. He writes especially to those who had "persistent concerns about violent texts" as well as those who cannot grow beyond these concerns. The key is not avoidance or denial. First, he states the problem. On the one hand, he acknowledges the presence of violence in the texts. Listing down the "problematic verses" in the Canaanite wars, violent prayers in the Psalms, gruesome stories in Judges, etc, he assures the reader that he is well aware of the struggles people might have with these acts of violence. On the other hand, he reminds us not to burn down the house (the Bible) for the sake of dealing with spots of grease (acts of violence). How then do we approach it? He rejects 8 ways of approaching this issue. Approaches such as avoidance, rejection, mythical treatment, cultural projections, and so on simply do not cut it. Instead, we need to learn to see the bigger picture of the whole Bible. Listen carefully to the contexts of these violent episodes. Do not read modern cultural contexts into the ancient texts. If one is able to appreciate the reasons why such violence takes place at all, perhaps, we learn a lot more about how not to behave.

Second, he looks at the chapters with some of the most problematic texts: Genesis (Part One) and Joshua (Part Two). For example, the Great Flood did not simply happen. It came when the evils grew beyond all levels of imagination. Yet God was merciful not to destroy everyone. This constant rebellion-redemption narrative gets repeated throughout the Bible. If the examples in Genesis show us what "general violence" was, the ones in Joshua dealt with "specific violence." Consistently throughout the chapters, Lynch deals with matters with two hands. One hand highlights the violence while the other hand weighs the reasons for the violence. Readers will sense that Lynch does not mince meat when dealing with the various problematic texts, agreeing that it is cruel and hard to swallow. At the same time, he reminds us not to quickly set aside the reasons why these things happened. Anyone who wants to blame God for His Judgment must not look the other way as far as human-inflicted evil was the cause of the action. The Exodus and the Conquest narratives are also to be seen as the bigger picture of survival in a foreign land. The contexts of such violence occurred in a land of idolatry, sin, and great evil.

Finally, the author concludes by showing us how the Old Testament reveals the Character of God. Is it justifiable to call the LORD the God of Violence? Before answering that question, we need to look at the way that we ourselves see the world. Using the rock-climbing metaphor about dynamic and static ropes, he urges us to adopt a "dynamic rope" mindset which is able to withstand heavy loads. If we simply use the "static rope" mentality, it is like insisting on not budging from the accusation at God and rejecting the Bible for a mere inability to understand why the violence happened. Putting it another way, Lynch is telling us not to miss the forest for the trees, and to insist on the total resolution of the violent verses before making decisions about faith.

My Thoughts
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Nobody likes violence, but violence is still very much alive in this world. Movies often depict it with blood and gore. Open violence is happening in various wars around the world. I would venture to add that those supposedly "peaceful societies" are actually places of truce. They are essentially violence waiting to happen. Like road rage incidents the moment someone cuts into your lane, or some careless insult uttered that offends, or when one's child gets bullied that raises the parents' wrath, many situations in society are just violence waiting to happen. Our modern world is still replete with all kinds of evil. Terrible violence and injustice still rage on somewhere in the world. The question then remains: Why do we accept the violence happening now in our world and not the ones recorded in the Old Testament? This book presents many rational arguments that not only recognize the reality of the problem, it also explains the contexts of it all. Seeing the problematic verses is just one part. The other part is the why. If there is a third part, it might be this: If we are in God's position, what would we have done? Do we have a superior way? Perhaps that is something we can all ask and challenge ourselves with.

I applaud the author for his courage in tackling this topic of violence and bloodshed in the Bible. Many people cannot get past this issue and sadly have refused to accept the reality of God. This is a pity. In doing so, we might have missed the reality of divine justice. Plus, God does not simply destroy. He also redeems. I believe too that anyone who questions the Problem and Reality of Evil must also contend with the Problem of Good. Even though the author is an academic, he writes this book in a very layperson manner, which makes this book particularly readable. Anyone who has ever questioned the person of God because of these problematic verses should read this book with an open mind. Perhaps, they will find a way to engage these verses again for themselves before jumping to any hasty conclusions. If in doubt, begin with this book.

Matthew J. Lynch is associate professor of Old Testament at Regent College in Vancouver, Canada. He is the author of First Isaiah and the Disappearance of the Gods, Portraying Violence in the Hebrew Bible: A Literary and Cultural Study, and Monotheism and Institutions in the Book of Chronicles: Temple, Priesthood, and Kingship in Post-Exilic Perspective. He is the co-founder of the OnScript podcast, a podcast focused on providing engaging conversations on Bible and theology.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of InterVarsity Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

I was thoroughly unimpressed with this book. It has its high points (particularly the chapter on God's character), but I honestly wouldn't recommend it to anybody wrestling with the subject.

The main issue, for me, was a combination of bumbling exegesis and a poor doctrine of Scripture. These problems were far worse in the section dealing with Genesis 1-11 than the section dealing with Joshua, but they're present throughout. I'll offer a couple of examples.

Bumbling exegesis: Lynch dedicates a chapter to the way Genesis 1-11 couples violence and misogyny, critiquing the latter by showing the way it's accompanied by the former. While I'm happy to agree that misogyny and violence feed into each other, I don't think Lynch makes a strong case that the author of Genesis had this issue on his mind. Among his weakest arguments is his insistence concerning the Hebrew idiom used to express Lamech's marriages in chapter 4 (as well as the sons of god in ch6). Lamech "took" (לקח) his wives, implying that the marriages were forced.

The problem is that this is the standard idiom for the initiation of a marriage throughout the entire Old Testament. If he wanted to argue that the idiom betrays a misogynistic, women-as-property outlook on the part of the biblical authors, that would be more tenable (though I would still disagree). But to claim that the author of Genesis chose this idiom as a subtle criticism of Lamech (and the sons of God in ch6) is simply ludicrous.

Poor doctrine of Scripture: Lynch's approach to the Flood is multifaceted. I only wish to highlight one point: He takes the account as fictional. He argues that the story is true (i.e., it carries genuine theological value), but not historical.

Now, I'm not against sensitivity to fine points of genre and figurative language. I hold a non-literal view of Genesis 1, and I inclune toward the view that the Flood was local rather than literally worldwide. All that to say, I'm not necessarily one who toes the traditional evangelical party lines on every issue. But I hold these positions because I belive they're flagged by details in the texts themselves.

Lynch's suggestion that the Flood account is ahistorical, however, makes me extremely uncomfortable for two reasons. First, I have listened to John Dominic Croissan use the same language to make the same argument about the gospels. The gospels are true, in that they carry real spiritual meaning, but hardly any event described in them actually happened. He likened the gospels to parables, and Lynch likens the Flood account to the same.

Second, and bound up closely to the first point, I do not believe there is any genre distinction that would flag the Flood narrative as parabolic rather than straightforward history. In terms of genre it isn't any different from the Abrahamic narratives, the book of Samuel, or the book of Ruth. The names of Noah and his sons appear in genealogies in straightforward historical accounts like Chronicles and Luke. Lynch's arguments against historicity all boil down to improbability, much like Croissan's arguments against the historicity of the Resurrection account. This line of reasoning is, in my estimation, incompatible with the doctrine of inspiration.

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There are good points in the book, and I found each chapter thought-provoking in one way or another. But there is plenty more I could complain about concerning Lynch's doctrine, his approach to comparing the Scriptures with other ANE sources, his assumptions about historiography, and his detailed exegesis. I really can't recommend this book.

"If there’s no opposition to God in these early creation accounts, and if these introductory stories are trying to teach us to see the world as it ought to be, then violence has no essential place in God’s creation. It doesn’t belong."

Flood and Fury by Matthew J. Lynch attempts to demonstrates the life-giving vein of Shalom that is present in the biblical story even in some of the notoriously problematic texts, like the stories of Joshua and conquest of Cannan. The narrative style is engaging and easy to read—even casual at times. For some, the informality may be off-putting, but I think that people who are struggling with these texts and are triggered by the violence found in them, may find the conversational style more accessible and compelling.

Ultimately, I hoped this book would show me that not only are there lifegiving ways to read these violent texts, but the biblical message of shalom is present and center in any book you are engaged with. While I'm not entirely convinced, Lynch's work is a step in that direction and definitely helps facilitate and guide an important conversation that is desperately needed and welcome.

An easy read despite the topic of violence and disaster in the bible. The style of writing is chatty and takes you on a journey to understand the texts and the history that goes alongside it. The book is impeccably references and the examples form the bible are vast and powerful show the points that the author is making,
An excellent section on divine mystery and a look at what isn’t in the bible and the reasons why, a solid read that can be read numerous times and always come away with something new.

🙏🏻 Flood and Fury by Matthew J. Lynch 🙏🏻

This is a non fiction story exploring the Old Testament in an attempt to show God’s love, despite all the terrible acts and tragedies that occurred in those chapters.

I will share some context about myself before providing my review. Although I am a Christian and communicate with God daily, I mainly read the New Testament and when I do read or listen to summarised chapters from the Old Testament, I tend to skip over the horrible parts.

I was hoping this book would allow me to approach the Old Testament with a new lens, so I could read about the ears and killings that happened but be able to understand God’s love through it.

Unfortunately this did not happen for me.

First of all, I did not enjoy the way this book was formatted at all. This is a well researched book and this is evident in the sheer number of references within the book, not only verses from the Bible but also quotes and ideas from a vast number of other Old Testament scholars.

So it made this book more of an amalgamation of different theories on the Old Testament instead of the just the author’s ideas on the Old Testament. If you are looking for that kind of thing then this book is for you, but when I was reading through the chapters, not once did I feel goosebumps or the power of God’s love like I have done when I have read other Christian books and articles. For me, this book read more like a stilted essay.

Even though I am already close with God, I felt like this book provided me with more confusion than answers. But, the purpose of this book is commendable - anything that strives to move people closer to God should be praised

Perhaps there is someone out there that will connect with this book. But that person is not me. Sorry.