war and love

The end of 2 Samuel 21 describes several battles fought by David’s army against the Philistines toward the end of David’s reign. Reading about it made me wonder a couple of things.

In verse 19 I read this: “ In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver's rod.” 

It intrigued me that Goliath had a brother. The other three battles also resulted in the deaths of Philistine heros, giant men, one with six fingers and six toes on each hand and foot. All were descendents of someone named Rapha, evidently well known at the time. So I wonder, who was Rapha, and what were his family of giants like? 

Which led me to a much harder question. Why all the war against the Philistines? I know that God gave over Canaan to his people and commanded them to clear the land of all its pagan-worshiping inhabitants. What I wonder sometimes is why that was necessary. The Old Testament books of Judges and 1 and 2 Samuel are chapter after chapter of relentless killing.

The reason the question seems important to me is that God doesn’t change. I get it that he wanted the influence of pagan religions eradicated so his people could more easily avoid being enticed. But what does that mean today? I don’t want to think it means we Christians should try to eliminate everyone who doesn’t believe like us. I don’t want to agree with those who resist allowing immigrants to settle here. I don’t want to go along with the strident voices that try to “otherize” anyone whose sin is different than the standard ones we’re used to living with.

Yet God seems to demand that I don’t just accept pagan gods in the land either. So what does he expect of me?

I don’t know. But there are a couple of things that I do know. One is that where I have influence, I can’t allow sin to flourish. And the other is that the greatest commandment still is to love God with all my heart and love my neighbor as myself. Somehow the answer lies in doing the second in a way that accomplishes the first.