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.