The reading from the Hebrew Bible describes how, after being named king over Israel, David saw fit to destroy the Jebusites and take their city for himself as the capital of Israel. And so, the city that used to be called Jebus was renamed Jerusalem. But how did David conclude that this was an acceptable idea? What was his justification for taking this action, not to mention the military actions of Israel that was described in detail in the book of Joshua? This justification is found by going back to Genesis 9 and 10, and Exodus 23, and Deuteronomy 7 and 9 and 20.
Furthermore, it is passages like these that contribute to the conflict we see in Israel and Palestine today. Reading this account in the Hebrew Bible presents a challenging picture. And when one pays attention to what Jesus taught a thousand years later, one can come to the conclusion that the justification given in the Hebrew Bible is not really justified at all . . .
