16: All That Violence
The dominant groups of the day were tribes. To survive they had to be prepared to defend themselves. In wars, to survive, they had to be brutal. That was the way it was done. And their wars were not only tribe against tribe, but the tribe’s gods against the other tribe’s gods. That is the way it was. The violent stories in the Bible reflect that culture.
But, the tribe of Abraham was called to be different—to be a blessing to all peoples. And in the stories, you see radical ideas: care for widows, orphans and refugees; leaving part of your field unharvested for the poor; setting people free from slavery; and loving your neighbor.
The stories are violent and barbaric and we should be disturbed by them. But they do not reflect the way God is.
It is possible that the stories were included to show how senseless violence is. <seems a bit of stretch to me.>