Killing All That Breathes: Violence in the Old Testament

In chapter 5 of his book, This Strange and Sacred Scripture: Wrestling with the Old Testament and Its Oddities, Matthew Schlimm examines and attempts to correct 5 mistaken premises regarding the violence and genocide issues that readers may face and often find problematic as they read the Old Testament.

This post regarding Chapter 5, aptly named Killing All That Breathes: Violence in the Old Testament, is my depiction and opinion of his arguments as they relate to scripture and what I personally believe. With the 5 mistaken premises that Schlimm’s touched on, I will follow up with my reasoning as to why I either agree or disagree with what he says.

As you read this post, please remember that these are my personal opinions and I am not trying to disrespect Schlimm’s writing or force you to agree with my opinions, I am just sharing what I depicted from his writings and comparing it to what I believe or previously learned. I would love to read your opinions or point of view in the comment section below this post.

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Premise # 1: Christians should imitate biblical characters' actions.

Schlimm makes the point that whether a biblical character’s actions are to be imitated or not comes down to the context of the action and readers wanting the Bible to give them a set of directions via these characters will be disappointed.

Despite the fact that I agree with Schlimm in his claim that Christians should not always imitate a biblical character’s actions, I do not agree with his statement regarding readers being disappointed when wanting to be given directions through these characters. The Bible isn't a fairy tale filled with make-believe characters or just a book about interesting historical (but dead) figures.

The Bible, from beginning to end, is the blueprint of God's design for humanity and throughout the Old and New Testament, we are given directions and guidelines on how God expects us (his people) to live. These directions and guidelines are provided and revealed to us through the lives and actions of the people in the Bible, and even in some of the most difficult and heartbreaking passages, there is advice for all of humanity.

While reading scripture, we find characters that seem to be the ideal models of Christianity that we should imitate, and others that seem to be epidemy of what we should be avoiding. However, we can learn a lot from the lives and actions of everyone mentioned in the Bible, and what actions aim to please God and those that completely disown Him.

Premise # 2: Christians should imitate God's actions.

Even though I don’t fully agree with Schlimm’s statement “God Fights, So God's People Shouldn’t”, Schlimm is right in a way.

First and foremost, as humans and sinners, it is impossible to imitate God. The word imitate implements the idea that we can be exactly like God and model His every move. This is an absurd thing to believe because we aren't God and therefore, we shouldn't try to be God or act as if we could be. There are only a minute amount of God's characteristics that Christians can actually "imitate” and these include characteristics such as humility, compassion, gentleness, self-control, patience, and obedience; as well as being loving and forgiving towards the world.

Humans, even Christians, are finite (or limited) and God is infinite. Infinite simply means “without limits” and when we refer to God as "infinite," we are saying that God exists outside of what we know and is not limited by time or space. This means we don’t have the capability to even begin to fathom all of God's attributes, and it is impossible for humans to attempt to imitate them.

However, I do agree with Schlimm when he said, “God alone knows everything: every motive, every past, every psychology, every limitation, every action, and every history. God alone knows how to intertwine justice with mercy, when to forgive, and when to punish. Humans do not.”

Now regarding premises number 3 and 4, I felt both have a direct link to each other and had many of the same points.

Premise # 3: Christians should apply each individual text they read directly to their lives.

Premise # 4: Christians should read individual passages in isolation from other passages.

Schlimm claims that “it's wrong to assume that each individual passage can be directly lived out in each individual life today.” This statement is a hard one to either fully agree or fully disagree with. When it comes to this point, hermeneutics teaches us that this statement is partially correct. Every passage of Scripture should not be taken out of the Bible and applied directly to our lives, without looking at the context in which the scripture was written.

I do agree with Schlimm’s statement that "we cannot randomly apply one text to our lives without bringing it into conversation with other related texts.” When we isolate one verse and try to take it out of context to apply it to our lives, we end up confusing and disappointing ourselves, and we ultimately miss the message God is trying to speak to our lives.

Schlimm uses Psalm 137:9 to make the point that today’s Christians can’t isolate a passage and blindly apply it directly to our lives as it is written without the context behind it.

“Happy is the one who takes your babies and smashes them against the rocks!”

If we were to take this passage as it is and live it out today, we would not only break our worldly law and the 10 commandments, but we would also destroy who God is and break His heart. It is important to understand the context of this verse and others that are written like it. These verses are referred to as “imprecatory prayers”. These imprecatory prayers in the Bible confuse people today as they seem strange or wrong. To “imprecate” means to “pray evil against,” and Psalm 137:9 refers to the violence against the enemies of God.

The context surrounding this verse must be carefully interpreted using the history in which it was written and then viewed appropriately in light of the writer’s emotions. This verse is one of the many psalms that express intense emotions, and this statement should not be taken literally. The writer did not intend for the readers to go out and kill babies, but rather he desired justice, which in his mind meant the death of his enemies. The Jewish people had been enslaved by the Babylonians after they burned down the city of Jerusalem and were calling upon God to exact revenge upon their enemies.

I agree with Schlimm when he said, “In thinking about this text, it’s important to remember the Bible is a book for the ages. We are not its only audience.” This is why we must always look at the original context of a passage.

In other words, I do believe that each individual passage of scripture has the possibility to be lived out today, but only once the context of the passage has been determined and the surrounding passages are fully understood.

Premise # 5: Christians should have answers to every question raised by disturbing texts.

I personally do not agree with what Schlimm states here. “The Old Testament can remain our friend in the faith, even if we don’t see the usefulness of every one of its texts in our own lives.” I feel Schlimm had the right mindset but didn’t use the best of words when making this statement. I do agree that it’s okay if Christians don’t have all the answers, and as humans, we are incapable of having all the answers related to questions regarding any texts, disturbing or otherwise. We will never (here on earth) have all of the answers to why God does the things He does. God expects us and wants us to have questions because that’s how we grow and learn. I believe the Holy Spirit guides us when we read even the most complex and disturbing texts to use the entire Bible to cope with and deal with these types of texts.