On Friday, September 9th 2011 I was listening to the Lars Larson radio show on my way to see a patient. As I listened Lars and the person he was interviewing were discussing religion and talked about Christianity as being a religion of peace and tolerance.
In the course of the conversation Lars pointed out something to the effect, however, that the ancient Israelites had been commanded by God to destroy the people who were in the land of Canaan. The guest then commented that they were only commanded to kill the Amalekites and since there were no more Amalekites there was no reason to continue the destruction.
On the contrary the Lord commanded Israel to “….cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:1..” The Amalekites were completely destroyed by the Israelites (see 1 Chr. 4:43 KJV) but they actually never did fulfill the Lord’s commandment to destroy the Canaanites as many of them remained in the Promised Land (see Judges 1: 27-28 KJV).
I whole heartedly support Lars’s statement that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of peace and tolerance, but clearly not because we have run out of people to kill. We are no longer are commanded to kill our neighbors because much of the old law, the law that the ancient Israelites lived under, was fulfilled in the life, mission and sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the gospel in which He taught.
The early Church also had a difficult time understanding this concept as evidenced by their resistance with baptizing the gentiles, and with being upset by Paul not requiring gentile converts to be circumcised. In principle both questions were answered in the revelation that Peter received in which the Lord instructed the prophet “…What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common2.” The apostle Paul testified that “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.3″
Much of this world’s problems would indeed be solved if the followed the Saviors’ directive “ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another4″. Obviously we as Christians need to lead the way in this effort as we faithfully follow the great “corner stone5″ of our faith, even our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
1. Deuteronomy 7:1-2 KJV
2. Acts 10:15 KJV
3. Galatians 5:14 KJV
4. John 13:35 KJV
5. Ephesians 2:22 KJV