Above: The Front of the U.S. $100 Bill
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Deuteronomy and Matthew, Part IV: God, Mammon, and Killing
OCTOBER 1, 2023
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Deuteronomy 2:16-37
Psalm 13 (Morning)
Psalms 36 and 5 (Evening)
Matthew 6:16-34
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How priceless is your love, O God!
Your people take refuge under the shadow of your wings.
–Psalm 36:7, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Deuteronomy 2:16-37 seemed dull until I arrived at the end of that lection and found a reference to the supposedly divine-sanctioned killing of all men, women, and children and the complete destruction of property in war. The Richard Elliott Friedman Commentary of the Torah (2001) informed me that
In contexts that do not have to do with war, the Hebrew word herem refers to something that is devoted to God (Lev. 27:21, 28-29; Num. 18:14). In contexts of war, as in this verse, herem refers to the rule, in divinely commanded wars only, against taking spoils or slaves, but rather destroying all of these and thus dedicating them to the deity. Then point: the war is not for profit.
–page 569
That did not cause me to feel better or to think kindly about the text.
Yet the not-for-profit theme fits well with Matthew 6:16-34. Fasting should not be for the purpose of amassing social capital. One should value God more than wealth, can be a tool for good, bad, and neutral purposes. As 6:21 (The Revised English Bible) tells us,
For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.
William Barclay wrote succinctly and correctly,
…wealth is always a subordinate good.
—The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1 (Chapters 1-10), Revised Edition (Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1975, page 252)
But it can become an idol. Anything can become an idol if one treats it accordingly.
One of the great principles of the Law of Moses is that everything belongs to God; we are merely stewards. Yes, there is value in not becoming a moral hazard or an unnecessary burden upon others if possible. That is one reason for purchasing various forms of insurance policies. But a proper spiritual perspective on wealth and all that it can buy is that they belong to God. Lasting profit is spiritual, for we cannot take our money and our possessions to the afterlife. How effectively have we cared for others collectively and individually? (To set one against the other is to create a false dichotomy.)
To bring this post back full circle, I propose that killing people then claiming to have dedicated to God is unacceptable at all times and places, Deuteronomy 2 not withstanding. The Golden Rule overrides that understanding of herem. And conducting a massacre is neither for one’s spiritual profit nor the benefit of the massacred.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 20, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS AMATOR OF AUXERRE AND GERMANUS OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS; SAINT MAMERTINUS OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; AND SAINT MARCIAN OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK
THE FEAST OF JOHANNES BUGENHAGEN, GERMAN LUTHERAN PASTOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARCELLINUS OF EMBRUN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF OLAVUS AND LAURENTIUS PETRI, RENEWERS OF THE CHURCH
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ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS 
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