OLD TESTAMENT VIOLENCE AND THE SHALOM OF GOD
MATTHEW J. LYNCH
Foreword by Helen Paynter
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©2023 by Matthew J. Lynch
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ISBN 978-1-5140-0430-2 (digital)
ISBN 978-1-5140-0429-6 (print)
and for my WTC and Regent College students
Foreword by Helen Paynter
PART ONE: A REAL PROBLEM (WITH OPTIONS)
1 Facing the Problem (Without Burning Down Your House)
PART TWO: SHALOM AND ITS SHATTERING
4 Violence Against Women in the Bible’s Prologue
PART THREE: READING JOSHUA WITH YESHUA
11 Completing the Exodus in Canaan
PART FOUR: THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE CHARACTER OF GOD
14 What the Old Testament Says About God’s Character
Figures
3.1. Assurbanipal hunting the lion, from the North Palace in Nineveh (ca. 645–635 BC)
7.1. A bronze sickle sword recovered from Late Bronze layers at Aphek
9.1. Early Israelite settlement and conquest regions
10.1. Comparison of “destroy” commands in Exodus and Deuteronomy
11.1. Second highlighted map of Israel following the conquest
12.1. Pharaoh Rameses II and opponents in the Battle of Kadesh
12.2. A relief of Ramses II from Memphis showing him capturing enemies: a Nubian, a Libyan, and a Syrian, circa 1250 BC, Cairo Museum
12.3. Victory Stele of Naram-Sin of Akkad (ca. 2230 BC), which depicts him slaying the Lullibi and their king
Tables
9.1. Displacement vs. destruction
10.2. Deuteronomy 7:5 and 2 Kings 23
10.3. Deuteronomy 7:5 and 2 Chronicles 31
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About Flood and Fury: Old Testament Violence and the Shalom of GodWhat do we do with a God who sanctions violence? Old Testament violence proves one of the most troubling topics in the Bible. Too often, the explanations for the brutality in Scripture fail to adequately illustrate why God would sanction such horrors on humanity. These unanswered questions leave readers frustrated and confused, leading some to even walk away from their faith. In Flood and Fury, Old Testament scholar Matthew Lynch approaches two of the most violent passages in the Old Testament—the Flood and the Canaanite conquest—and offers a way forward that doesn’t require softening or ignoring the most troubling aspects of these stories. While acknowledging the persistent challenge of violence in Scripture, Flood and Fury contends that reading with the grain of the text yields surprising insights into the goodness and the mercy of God. Through his exploration of themes related to violence including misogyny, racism, and nationalism, Lynch shows that these violent stories illuminate significant theological insights that we might miss with a surface reading. Flood and Fury challenges us to let go of the need to rescue the Old Testament from itself and listen afresh to its own critiques on violence. |
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