Holy War

saintly War Essay Holy struggle. How can the word holy be put together with the word war? In the Old will though, holy war is presented in such a good light. You were going to war for Yahwehs command. Holy war was only engaged when Yahweh summons Israel to war. Holy war was initiated when mostthing became a threat to Israels loyalty to Yahweh or something became dangerous to Israelites faith. War and killing was what seemed necessary to protect Israelites from swaying towards the Canaanite religion.Holy war was only utilize for conquests or for the defense of the holy belt cut vertebral column. In Deuteronomy and the books of the blockage known as the Deuteronomistic History which includes Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1st and second Samuel, and 1st and 2nd Kings, we read about a conflict between the Israelites and Canaanites which leads to the Conquest of Canaan. macrocosm a conquest, its justified to c altogether(prenominal) it a holy war. It is described as Yahwehs battles in 1st Samuel chapter 25, verse 28. neer in the Old Testament is it referred to as a holy war. Because the Canaanites were occupying the land known as the promised land, the land meant for gods chosen people, the Israelites, to live on, Yahweh promised to Abrahams descendents that they moldiness be exterminated without mercy. He wanted all the Canaanites killed including the women and children. The Canaanites were placed at a lower place ban which meant they were sacrificed to Yahweh. It was though that if they allowed any Canaanite to live, they talent cause ghostly subversion (Harris).One example is documented in the book of Joshua, when Israelite soldiers captured the city of Jericho and killed all men, women, children, and even livestock, all because they wanted to enforce the ban and gods narrates. There were more provisions established to govern the execution of a holy war. firstborn it is to be understood a holy war is a religious undertaking. In theory, there should be no casualties because Yahweh is doing the fighting.Also some staple provisions included have no standing legions barely only an army of volunteers when needed, no pay for the soldiers along with no spoils of war, no sex during a holy war, and you must fast going into battle. In the book of Deuteronomy chapters 20 and 21, god spells out these provisions and rules that go along with going to war. For cities distant from the Promised Land, provisions differed from those nations closest. When the army marched up to attack a city, they were to make its people an offer of peace. If they accepted, they would be forced nto labor. If they refused, then both(prenominal) sides engaged in battle (Deut. 2010-12). They were ordered by divinity fudge to kill all men in the city they were attacking. The women, children, and livestock were considered plunders and spoilers of war. As for nations closest like the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, there are different provisions. divinity orders them to die nothing behind in these nations. Completely destroy them because they are the nations that might corrupt the Israelites into worshipping other gods and sin against Yahweh.Along with leaving nothing liveborn and the basic provisions, another provision deals with marrying prisoners. During the war, idol allows you to marry any of the captives of the conquered nation. however you must shave her head, trim her nails, and remove the clothes she was wearing when captured. You whitethorn marry her one-month after the capture to allow her to mourn her parents. If you become unpleased with he, you may let her go wherever she wishes, but you cant sell her or treat her as a slave since you have dishonored her.In Samuel chapter 15, Samuel orders King capital of Minnesota to attack the Amalekites and destroy everything that belonged to them. Put to death the men, women, children, infants, and all livestock as ordered by God. capital of Minnesota obeyed and organized an army of two hundred thousand men. He attacked the Amalekites and took their king, Agag, captive but finished everything else. capital of Minnesota spared Agags life along with, what he deemed, the best livestock. The captain spoke to Samuel and showed frustration in making capital of Minnesota king because Saul had not followed out his instructions to kill everyone and everything.Samuel met with Saul at a city known as Gilgal and asked why Saul let some livestock live? Sauls answer was that they would be used as sacrifices to the ecclesiastic because they were the best livestock. Samuel reminded Saul that the Lord had made hi king and that he sent Saul on a committal to completely destroy the Amalkites and asked why he didnt obey the order and do evil in the eyes of the Lord. Samuel didnt accept Sauls reasoning of keeping the livestock for sacrifices and keeping Agag alive. Samuel then say that God wasnt interested in sacrifices but in respectfulness of his voice and commands.Samuel t ells Saul that the Lord has spurned him as king. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king (Deut. 1523). Saul admitted he sinned because he was afraid of the people and gave into them. Saul then asked for compassion but Samuel did not accept. He turned to leave but Saul latched onto him. Samuel said again that Saul was not king anymore. Saul pleaded with Samuel for him to picture with him so he could worship the Lord. Samuel finally agreed and followed. After they worshipped, Samuel called for Agag to be brought to him.Agag arrived and Samuel proceeded to kill Agag before the Lord. Samuel left for Remaha and never returned to see Saul. From that day on, the Lord regretted that he made Saul king of Israel. We see in this portrayal the provisions of holy war, including Saul forming a volunteer army ad Saul obliterating everything of a nation. But the difference is King Saul didnt fulfill the order of God for this holy war against the Amalekites. S aul was looked down upon for not following Gods orders and Samuel had to fulfill the command. There seems to be no exceptions to Gods orders and provisions in holy war.The intrusion this episode had on me is Saul chose to disobey Gods orders of killing everything by allow some things survive. After coming to understand what holy war was, it fix it to be very bloodthirsty. Innocent women and children were killed. I understand the reasoning back then though for God to feel the need to destroy nations nigh Israels promised land because he feared his people would start worshiping other gods. The relevance of the age-old point of If God is good, why is there so ofttimes evil in the world, stems from people challengeing why wars, genocides, and even slay occur.The reason many people ask this question is because, as a Catholic, I really hadnt been exposed to the Old Testament God as much as the New Testament God. There is a big difference in the New Testament God and how sympath ize with and forgive full he his, and the Old Testament God who would bear off his enemys and never forgive some sinners such as Saul. Theres no way we can answer this question of why god allows so much evil to exist. We can try out to like todays wars and conflicts with the ideas and aspects of holy war, but out minds distillery cant grasp why god allows some things to happen.Could it be hes punishing sinners who are disobeying him? If this is so how could you reason why God allowed the Holocaust to happen. The Jews were considered Gods chosen people, so why would he allow this to happen to them. Or why is there genocide occurring in Africa to innocent people. If God is good, why does he allow these things to happen? We will ask this question forever. Work Cited Harris, Stephen L. Understanding the Bible. 7th ed. New York, NY McGraw-Hill, 2007.