Interpreting Scripture Through Our Prejudices

God promised the land to Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 13:15-17). I understand that. Much later (perhaps 400 years) under Joshua’s leadership, the Hebrew people took the land from the people who were living there in the name of God’s promise to Abraham (Joshua 3:10). Many, but not all, of those people living in the land during that time may also have been descendants of Abraham. The written record also reads that they were told by God to kill everyone--men, women, and children. (Joshua 6:17, 21 & 24). I have often thought that not only does not seem right or fair; it does not look like the likeness of God which we see in Jesus. I wonder if the authors of the book of Joshua were not prejudiced in the manner with which they wrote their history. Maybe God had plans of another way of fulfilling that promise to Abraham. Using the name of God as motivation can be a powerful temptation for acting out of our prejudices. I think we have been guilty of that in many ways. Folks were prejudiced when they used God to support slavery. Folks were prejudiced when they believed God was with them when they took land from Native Americans and marched them to Oklahoma (ex. the Trail of Tears). In these histories, innocent lives were lost with the prejudiced view that that too was supported by God. I believe we have been prejudiced in the way women have been treated in many Churches. I suspect that we have used the name of God in many ways to support our personal and/or national desires. There is pretty clear evidence of this in our present time. I wonder if the danger of this way of thinking may be what God had in mind when the third commandment was written (Exodus 20:7), “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain” (KJV); or “for evil purposes.” (GNB). I fear we blame God or try to make God responsible for much of which is not God’s doings, but ours. Lord, in Your mercy forgive us.