Journey Of The Seed - Catch The Bible's Big Picture In 60 DaysSample

WHY ALL THE BLOODSHED?

[Scheduled Reading: Judges 1-8]

Let’s step back and look at the big picture.

The goal for the twelve tribes was to inhabit a new land, a spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey. It’s the land of Canaan. The Promised Land. 

God had that land in mind when he led Terah and Abram out of Ur, over five hundred years earlier. 

After Joshua died and while settling in the Promised Land, the Israelites continued to encounter various enemy groups. 

So God assigned military leaders – known as “judges” - to rally the twelve tribes and fight off these enemies.

For this era of “judges,” don’t think of pot-bellied men wearing robes. Think of MMA (mixed martial arts) fighters with swords. Some of these judges were legendary warriors!

Often reading through the Old Testament feels like an endless list of casualty records—big battles, and non-stop bloodshed. (While reading you’re noticing some of these stories “Rated R for Intense Violence.”)

What’s the reason for all this death? And the bigger question: Why was God involved in helping the Israelites to wipe out their enemies? 

It’s all about The Seed. And it goes back to Genesis 3:15

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel. (NASB) 

Remember, Genesis 3:15 is a declaration of war.

And for 4,000 years God is working to transfer The Seed through history. Preserving the path for The Seed involves survival—keeping the lineage of Israel alive. And this means destroying enemies that stand in the way. 

It’s hard for us to relate to such violence today. But it’s a testament to how God has preserved The Seed over the course of history. 

As The Seed gets closer to the New Testament, the killing campaigns end. 

But until then, the battle wages on. The Seed’s ultimate arrival is over 1,000 years away in a nearby town of Bethlehem. 

Establishing a presence in this land is mission critical for The Seed. 

Family Talk

How does the perspective of the protecting and preserving The Seed help to make sense of the Bible’s violence? 

What questions might you still have about how God chose to handle this conflict?