Micah Tillman

I’m listening now to Dr. John D. Currid‘s lectures on “Judges through Poets” from RTS.

To set the background for Judges, he’s discussing Joshua, and the Israelite invasion of the Promised Land.

This, naturally, leads to the problem of what appears to be not only God-sanctioned, but God-instructed genocide. 

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Moses, claiming to be speaking for God — Who Moses presents as being concerned for the protection of His people from evil influences — instructs the Israelites to “utterly destroy” (at least certain of) the current inhabitants of the Promised land, and to “[m]ake no covenant with them and [to] show them no mercy” (Deuteronomy 17:2, NRSV).

Likewise, Moses tells them they “must not let anything that breathes remain alive,” but instead are to “annihilate them” (Deuteronomy 20:16-17, NRSV).

And later, Dr. Currid notes, Samuel, claiming to be quoting God, says to Saul:

“I will punish the Amalekites for what they did in opposing the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt. Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.“  (1 Samuel 15:2-3, NRSV)

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Dr. Currid has several responses to these things, but his central response seems to be the following.  He says:

“We have a hard time understanding the concept of communal liability, that a community is responsible for the deeds of its individual citizens.

“Remember Achan, in Joshua chapter 7, went and stole the things under “the ban.”  Well he and his family were destroyed.  Things work communally.

“We don’t like that idea except when it comes to Jesus.  We like when He works communally.  We don’t like when Adam works communally, because we’re recipients of sin.  And we don’t like when members of our society act that way and we’re responsible for it.  But that’s how the universe operates.  Thankfully it does, when it comes to Christ Jesus.

“That’s what the idea of covenant is: the idea of communal liability and responsibility, and communal grace (to the glory of Christ).

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Never mind Deuteronomy 24:16 (NRSV), I guess, which says:

“Parents shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their parents; only for their own crimes may persons be put to death.”

After all, we all deserve to die as soon as we’re born, Dr. Currid says, because of Total Depravity.

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So, let’s take Dr. Currid’s claims one by one, shall we?

“We have a hard time understanding the concept of communal liability, that a community is responsible for the deeds of its individual citizens.”

Totally false.  “We” have no problem at all understanding the concept of communal liability.  Half our country agrees with Sean Penn and Jeremiah Wright, and the other half with Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson.

I’m the only person in the known universe who has any problem with the idea.  I’m the only one bothered by people using the word “we” to blame themselves and each other for things they never did.

It’s just me, Dr. Currid.  Everyone else gets it.  I’m the only one who thinks it’s absolutely ludicrous.

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“Remember Achan, in Joshua chapter 7, went and stole the things under “the ban.”  Well he and his family were destroyed.  Things work communally.”

Yeah.  It’s true.  Achan’s whole family got killed.  Doesn’t make any sense, especially because of Deuteronomy 24:16!

And no, things don’t work communally.  Certain cultures treat things communally — e.g., gangs, racists, and nationalists — but that’s not how things work.

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“We don’t like that idea except when it comes to Jesus.  We like when He works communally.  We don’t like when Adam works communally, because we’re recipients of sin.  And we don’t like when members of our society act that way and we’re responsible for it.  But that’s how the universe operates.  Thankfully it does, when it comes to Christ Jesus.”

Actually, you Reformed people see Jesus’ work as being “communal,” but that’s just how you see it.  And you see Adam’s work as “communal,” but that’s just how you see it.  That’s your Reformed attempt to make sense out of what happened.  But it’s your attempt, not necessarily the truth.

And you sure are right about people not liking to take responsibility for the “immorality” of their fellow citizens.  That’s why they go so worked up about morality and whatnot and go out protesting and carry around signs and passing constitutional amendments banning things.

The fact that they don’t like the fact that responsible for other people’s “immorality” shows that they believe they are.  That’s why they get so angry at homosexuals and prostitutes and drug users and carbon emitters and capitalists and bigots.

Wake up and smell the coffee.  Everything that both sides of the aisle on every issue is angry about stems from the fact that everyone believes that everyone is responsible for what other people do.

Without the idea of communal liability, half the conflict in the world would disappear instantaneously.

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“That’s what the idea of covenant is: the idea of communal liability and responsibility, and communal grace (to the glory of Christ).”

Really?  Then how come the covenant had to be renewed every few years or so?  Why couldn’t the “community” accept it and then have it count for everyone in the “community” forever?

And God only made covenants with groups?  I seem to remember some individual covenants.

And with what groups did God make a covenant other than the Israelites?  God had no covenant with the Canaanites, did He?

And even if he did, and they broke the covenant, the infants and children didn’t.   Do you think that children have a “communal liability and responsibility” for their parents’ breaking of a covenant that didn’t exist?

What about Deuteronomy 24:26 (NRSV)?

“Parents shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their parents; only for their own crimes may persons be put to death.”

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Okay, enough ranting.