Have Bible believers read the book of Joshua?

I love reading the Bible. The Bible has shaped my thinking and what I believe. However, I read the Bible with a critical eye and am always ready to engage these special writings in honest and genuine argument. I do not “believe” in the Bible. The Bible is not a sacred book. It was written by several dozen fully human men, with different levels of writing skills. They disagreed with one another and produced a great variety of opinions and perspectives.

In the Bible collection there is no report of horrendous actions (supposedly blessed by God) more terrible than those reported in the book of Joshua. According to the Joshua script, the actions of the Israelites are every bit as bad as Hitler’s gas chambers. Among those Christians that proclaim “I believe the Bible” I am certain few have read the book of Joshua.

Joshua was the successor of Moses. He was appointed by God. The job of Joshua was to take control of the land given to the Israelites by God. Calling the acquisition of Palestine by Joshua and his cohorts a “gift” from God is a bit of a stretch. The Israelites, having made a covenant with the Hibiru tribe, had become a killing machine. The Hibiru were a mercenary band of killers, who controlled by violent killing. The new alliance was a “holy” alliance. Those who bowed down to Jehovah were spared by the Jehovah worshiping Israelites. Those who did not were killed. The Israelites became a warrior nation serving a warrior God.

The first target of the Israelites was the city of Jericho, just west of the Jordan River. The Israelites camped on the east bank of the Jordan. First, Joshua sent spies into the walled city of Jericho. His spies took shelter in the home of Rahab, a prostitute with an extended family. When questioned, Rahab lied about the presence of the spies and devised a plan for their safe escape. She had her price. The Israelites were to spare the lives of her and her family, who were huddled in Rahab’s home.

Joshua organized his troops, crossed the river on dry ground and started marching around the fear-filled city of Jericho. This process is memorialized in our Christian churches by the song “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho.” Children love the song. It makes great theatrics. The parade was led by priests who each carried a ram horn. They also carried the Arc of the Covenant, a wooden box where their killer God lived. On command of Joshua, the priests blew their horns and the walls of Jericho fell flat. Joshua’s army proceeded to kill EVERY inhabitant of the city of Jericho except Rahab and her family. They all became Israelites.

The story of the book of Joshua tells about Joshua and his killer army overrunning he cities of Palestine, usually killing all the inhabitants. They were led by priests and their killer God in a box. The concluding chapters of the book of Joshua tell of the dividing of Palestine among the twelve tribes of Israel. The land now belonged to the tribes of Israel because the land had been given to them by God.

Did this all happen? Probably not, but some of it is true. Historians are saying that the children of Israel somehow escaped slavery in Egypt, hooked up with a band of killers and became a vicious warrior tribe that came to dominate Palestine under the rule of the great King David. The history of Israel cannot be separated from the kingdom under David, a combination of terrible killer and humanitarian, compassionate leader. All nations have ugly history. They also have traditions of kindness and love. Israel under David is typical of this pattern.

Bible thumpers, including Christian Fundamentalists and many Evangelicals, want the world to embrace the compassionate God of Jesus AND also the warrior God of Joshua. Other devout Christians argue that a believer cannot have it both ways.

This argument runs through the Old Testament writings. Micah, Amos, and Isaiah say “no” to the violent Jehovah and argue against the ways of violence.

I have interesting personal history. My mother was from German Anabaptist roots that rejected violence as a part of Christian Faith. They were devout pacifists. I do not recall my mother ever speaking an angry word. My father was also German but from the militaristic tradition. While not violent, I recognize my father as being angry. He was an early admirer of Adolph Hitler, but not for long. He was a strong supporter of the American World War II effort. His Christian faith made ample room for the warrior tradition.

The book of Joshua is valuable. It confronts us all with one of life’s greatest debates. What is the character of the path to genuine peace? Is it love and kindness or is it found in violent destruction of enemies? Is it found in the prophet from Nazareth, or is it found in the violence of Joshua? This is a debate that Christians need to have. The debate is very difficult to have as long as Joshua is read as holy writ.

The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer, Alaska. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.