Been doing some thinking about reading about vengeance and violence in the Old Testament and reconciling that with grace and mercy in the New. I don't think I have a clear understanding but am beginning to see something I didn't before. In essence what I am seeing is man interpreted what was said to them and never really understood the character of God but put there own sanctions upon there own violet nature of heart all in the name of God of course. God never corrected this in the scriptures but kept the thoughts there, and because there written we think they are true. History has repeated these false understandings with examples of this violence over and over again even in the history of this land in North America. Let me explain.
For example 1 Sam 15: 1-9 It appears that God sanctioned genocide, but what really was at the heart of these verses was obedience to God. v19 ..."why did you not obey the voice of the Lord..." Did God really want Saul to slay all the people including infants and children along with all the animals? Or was the lens that Saul was looking and hearing through his own heart? I am sure if you are like me, it appears God did say to slay everyone including the animals, even as Saul thought he did achomlish the Lords commandment. The question it seems to ask is how much did Saul, or you and I really understand Gods nature from the command? It seems the rest of verse 19 reveals the heart of Saul..."Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord, but swooped down upon the plunder and did evil ..." The term "swooped down" in the picture language of Hebrew is a EYE AND A BASKET OR CONTAINERS meaning to see and contain like a bird of prey seeing a great distance swooping down and grabbing its prey. It was called evil by God because God was teaching about a submissive hearkening, learning to listen, but instead Saul saw it as gathering something for himself, profit, gaining something even in the killing of others. That is what Paul termed a part of the lust of the flesh.
As a side note we also find Saul's action was moved through the eyes of the heart of Saul 1Jn 2:16 " For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." The action took place aside from the God Himself. A question to ask is would God have said to Saul to stop the slaughter if Sauls heart intentions were right? To me its perfectly fair to ask such a question. The bible does not write much of what God would have done but it does talk of God having great sorrow after this with Saul as King.
My current understanding of God in my own relationship with Him, I sense He would have held back the hand of Saul from slaying the Amalekites, just as God had stayed the hand of Abraham from slaying his son Issac. I myself asked the question then what about Sodom and Gamorah? What came to mind was something Paul wrote : " Vengeance is mine" . We know not how to avenge ourselves and never were told we are to do such. The mention of Sodom in the New Testament is always joined with aionian fire, which at this time I will not delve into seeing this also through the eyes of Gods character of mercy.
It seems Pauls conversion was one of seeing the scriptures of a violent God to one of seeing mercy revealed in the scriptures. He quotes scriptures that give us an insight from these quotes from what he leaves in and leaves out purposely. For example in Romans 15:19 He says " And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name." He quoted about the mercy of God seeing Grace and mercy instead of mans interpretation and his own violent interpretation of them. Now what violent parts did Paul leave out of the scriptures? "Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me. (v40)..."Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets. " (v41) "thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.(v42).
Another example of mercy being seen instead of violence is, Rom 15:10 " And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. " We see he deliberately leaves out mans thought of "for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people." No longer does he recognize a violent God but always the mercy of God, which would make Paul a poor theologian because he does not use proper exegeses of the scriptures but is also no doubt rightly dividing the scripture in accordance with who God is.
What Paul has done is to re-contextualize the scriptures in accordance with bad exegesis but deliberately doing so revealing a truth long hidden making us question our old beliefs in a vengeful violent God, justifying our own actions but always reminding us there is none righteous and we all, even the elect are in the same boat in need of mercy and grace.
I would acknowledge that Derek Flood has helped in sparking some thoughts helping myself to reconcile the many seemingly violent scriptures and realizing mercy and grace was always the prevailing spirit until man tended muck things up in his own understanding reinterpreting what God said, and the Spirit allowing the misinterpretation to be written. This in no way invalidates the inspiration of the scriptures but causes one to see the hidden meaning of the Spirit dividing from mans interpretation such as Sauls of what he thought.
