15”Have you allowed all the women to live?” he asked them.
This is one of those moments that seem repugnant to our Western ears. There has been a battle and the soldiers have taken plunder. They have killed all the adult males, but have spared the women and girls. Of course it was the women who had been Israel’s downfall in the past, so Moses gives the order to kill all the boys and the adult women. Our sensibilities are stretched at this point. We often have the feeling that any killing is wrong, but this notion is simply incorrect. There are times when killing is right. We can’t go into a grand discussion of this point, but there are righteous wars, just wars. All war is not inherently evil. Some wars need to be fought and fought in a just way. And some people have to carry out the wars. Someone has to do the killing on behalf of the society and on behalf of justice. Notice that there is a ritual that brings those battle weary men back into the community with dignity. They don’t remain “unclean” forever. Today our soldiers deserve to be brought back into our communities. They have served our nation and deserve our respect and acceptance. They have the great burden of having fought and killed. Help them carry the burden.
The Arnold Journey 