#46660
Rich Paxson
Participant

Turning to the story about the Gibeonites, what jumped out at you?

Saul broke a treaty Joshua made with the Gibeonites, who then demanded satisfaction from David, Saul’s successor. Although some see him as such, God is not a ‘harmed party’ in this story. No. The story points to God, who is forever reaching out to flawed humanity in atonement. John remembers the story of the Gibeonites revenge in his Gospel. Paul writes about it in Chapter 8 of his Letter to the Romans.
The story about the Gibeonites is not about placating a wrathful God. No. This story points to God’s loving willingness to accommodate furious humanity. Thinking about the story, writing about it, pushes me toward full acceptance of the fact of God reaching toward us in atonement. The change in my thinking is like a spreading baptism beginning with my intellect. A baptism that reverses a lifetime of conditioned emotional and behavioral response.