Law of Moses — Deuteronomy 20

True to it’s name, Deuteronomy (deutero secondary and nomos law) is a second recitation of the Covenant. Thus, we skip over some chapters reiterating things specific to the context of that people, that place and that time.

However, the law of warfare in this chapter speaks to something utterly foreign to our current understanding of such things. What we have here is very brief and sketchy. Tactics and battle training are one thing; the fundamental nature of how God works in human conflict is another thing altogether.

Israel is His adopted family, a people destined to conquer and occupy a land promised to the Patriarchs. It was not merely a gift of inheritance, but it was His command that they commit genocide. Jehovah had a beef with the residents of the land; He had made that clear. He even warned Israel in previous chapters that it was not because the nation were such fine people that He was giving them the land. Rather, He denounced them as a very stiff-necked people. But the reason He was sending them into the land to kill and destroy was because the current residents were morally evil beyond any tolerance.

This was a grisly mission, and God needed an army of men who were utterly convinced of the moral necessity of cleansing the land. So first would come the priests to remind the troops that this was not just something God was permitting, but it was His marching orders to go and face whatever it was the filthy scum could raise against them. Never mind them being bigger people, with armed chariots and walled cities. God said those people were already dead, so Israel needed only go bravely to face them and the enemies would collapse in battle.

This was standard in that day and time. Troops were to become utterly convinced that their ranks were filled with the spirits of their deities, and that the opposing deities had abandoned their people. Whoever turned tail and ran had lost their spirit, quite literally. In this case, it was the one and only Creator God who marched with Israel, and their opposition worshiped demons subservient to the Creator. The land itself cried out for relief from this filth, so go wipe it out.

Before they go, the officers (their own clan warlords) would come and thin the herd down. Men who had unfinished business would not go to war. That is, if they were betrothed and still in that year between the betrothal and the actual wedding, then they would need to go home and get married, make babies. If they had built a new house for their family, and had not yet formally dedicated it, they should go home and take care of that first. Move in and get it all set up and the household running. If they had planted a new vineyard, something that took years to begin bearing fruit, they should go home and harvest that first crop.

These men would be distracted from the battle, thinking and longing too much to go home with all that unfinished business. Men who had established families and households, or who had invested a few years into their vineyards — these men would have something to defend, something a man could fight for. He needed to feel vested in his own future and the future of the covenant community. Yes, some of them would die in battle, but that’s better than the whole nation turning tail and someone conquering them all.

Naturally, if there was anyone lacking the conviction to want the enemies dead, they would hinder the essential business of warfare. We aren’t going out there to reason with the occupants; a battle comes after the negotiations have failed. Get it firmly in your mind they have signed their own death warrant by rejecting the Creator and His terms of peace.

Granted, there were cities out there on the fringes or outside the Promised Land who would cause you trouble. Israel didn’t inherit their land, so if they surrendered, then take some tribute and a few slaves and leave them alone. But if there was no way to live peacefully with them, then take `em out. Kill all the males; their future generations are forfeit. Save the females and plunder for yourselves, Israel.

But as for the people within the borders of the Promised Land, save nothing alive. Kill all the people of both sexes, all ages, and all the animals. Take only the food and the stuff, and empty the buildings not dedicated to demonic deities. Shrines and temples and idols must be destroyed. Don’t destroy the crops, and don’t use fruit trees in your siege works. You’ll be glad you saved them later when you live there.

The first issue of note here is recognizing who was an enemy. Idolaters are a threat by their very existence. Second, it is critical to understand that they cannot be rendered harmless. As long as they breathe, they will do all they can to subvert your trust in Jehovah. This is a reminder in symbolism that we dare not get too close to people who won’t serve our God. They aren’t a part of the covenant family, so you must maintain a solid boundary with how much you let them into your life. If they don’t die to self, they’ll kill your faith.