Blessed to Bless. Tim Sean Youmans

enjoy freedom of expression and religion. Why can’t that be the message of fifteenth-century BCE Israel? God is trying to help them build a culture that will bless all the families of the earth. And so for a time they need to concentrate on the development of that blessing culture. Do you see the historical irony? In order to be a “blessing culture,” there will be times that cultures are pitted against each other.

      Try on this analogy: most parents want their children to be kind and decent to everybody, but it is safe to say that parents do not want their children to be friends with everyone, especially with those with high risk behaviors. For simplicity’s sake, let’s say the lion’s share of the Canaanite tribes were to be avoided for the same reason. If you read these stories closely, you see that there are exceptions to this rule. Both attitudes coexist. We will revisit this topic throughout our reading of the Bible.