A better way forward
So, what do we do about all the violence in the Bible?
I’ve heard this question countless times. And rarely do I have a helpful answer.
Afterall, scripture is the inspired Word of God. It’s supposed to (among other things) guide us toward deeper lives of faith and a richer understanding of how we live in the world. So, if that’s true, what do we make of the passages where God apparently instructs people to destroy entire cities (Deuteronomy 7, as just one example). Or the whole first half of the book of Joshua which documents a kind of genocide—one group of people believing God has directed them to kill everyone currently living in the Promised Land.
When I pull out our children’s Bible to read with my 4-year-old, I’m grateful that the editors wisely chose not to include stories that describe the slaughter of innocent people, the murder of other countries’ leaders, or the teaching of an “eye for an eye.” It may be in the Bible… but those aren’t exactly stories we want kids learning in Sunday school.
Making it all more complicated: nearly every story invokes the name of God. This violence is supposedly God-ordained, by people who believe they’re acting in good faith. And yet, however it’s framed or whatever the motivation, the violence is disturbing, barbaric, and isn’t in line with the faith I profess.
So… what do we make of all the violence we find in the Bible? Admittedly, I don’t have great wisdom. But… I do wonder: could it be that the wars, conflict, and violence throughout the Bible actually point us to a different understanding of faith? Might there be a faithful way to live that rejects the idea of God encouraging cruelty and bloodshed?
When you think about it—what comes of all the hostility and brutality in the Bible except more violence? It becomes a vicious circle that leads nowhere. As author Rob Bell suggests: “You being shocked and repulsed by the violence in those stories may be exactly the writer’s intention… Those stories containing senseless violence point out how senseless violence is!”
In other words, maybe these terrible stories of war and conflict aren’t meant to be prescriptive but, rather, descriptive. They are a critique of this cycle. Violence just begets more unnecessary violence. There is nothing good, nothing loving, nothing compassionate or faithful that comes out of the violence documented in the Bible. And maybe that’s the point.
As Jesus walked this earth, his nonviolent presence was the antithesis of the cruelty we read about elsewhere. He listened. He embraced others—even and especially those very different from himself. He told us the greatest way to love God is to love our neighbor.
There’s a lot I don’t know or understand about the political unrest in the Middle East, including our own country’s involvement in it. But I do know this much: you can’t love your neighbor if you’re dropping bombs on them or otherwise threatening their life. Violence was never an effective solution in Biblical times, and it still isn’t today.
I’m convinced we’ll continue to be stuck in this relentless cycle until, someday, our lives more closely reflect the words of 1 John: “The commandment we have from God is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters, also.” May we work toward a day when all people live as though violence is never an option, and love is the only way forward.
