It’s time once again for our monthly opportunity to get answers to your questions on the bible, faith, and the church. Professors Mark Muska and Brad Sickler from the University of Northwestern answer your questions about Old Testament laws.
Our professors answer an important question about applying the Old Testament to our lives today,
“In taking words from the Bible that are said in simple form, vs. taking something that is maybe said in the form of symbolism in Revelation, do you apply that philosophy then to the Old Testament? Because the Old Testament talks about how God ordered Joshua and his army to kill every man, woman and child.
“I had a minister tell me that’s not the God he worships because God is of love. The Ten Commandments say, ‘Thou shall not kill.’
“What is your opinion on that?” –Bill, Faith Radio listener
Professor Muska responds by elaborating on God’s command to Joshua in Deuteronomy 20:16-17.
“God commanding Joshua and the people to exterminate these Canaanite and Amorites populations in the land that He had promised to Abraham and his family. Rarely are they seen as symbolic or allegorical, that this plainly is what God commanded.”
He shares his personal thoughts on the Old Testament commands.
“My response to that is it’s very harsh, it puts a frown on our face today, but have to remember it’s also very rare. You can count on one hand the amount of times that He commands something like this. It’s specified in the Bible and it is limited in its application.
“Anyone who’s out there today saying, ‘They are the instrument of God to kill all these people.’ That’s hogwash. This is especially revealed; very rare, almost unique, circumstance in the Bible where God uses human armies to execute His judgment on these people.”
While studying the Old and New Testaments, it’s easy to misinterpret what God is actually saying to us. Professor Sickler expresses the importance of understanding the biblical context.
“Again, being aware of what sort of thing you’re reading. If it’s a Psalm or a Song, if it’s a history, a part of a narration or a story, etc. Just because somebody says it, doesn’t mean that it’s approved of or sanctioned.”
This is important for us to note, especially as we review and interpret Old Testament laws.
“Taking things that are spoken to Israel and applying them to us doesn’t always work. We’re not under the law, we don’t follow the ceremonies and all these things.”
“You still have to be aware of what you’re reading, who it’s addressed to, what the situation was, what genre of literature it is, etc. Only when you get all those pieces in place should you should you try to come to a conclusion.”
