Where did you come from RWANDA (cover)

Where did you come from RWANDA (Behind the song)

RWANDA :  As I read stories of groups that were hiding their Christian brothers in order to save them from the bloody  massacre  at the risk of their own lives it left me shattered in disbelief that such horrible actions could be mounted in our day supposedly enlightened.  The movie “Hotel Rwanda”  left me realizing this was just a spec on the historical timeline of abuses against humanity that have brought about the total obliteration of the innocent leaving them broken and destroyed by none other than other humans. That is why the song is entitled “Where did you come from Rwanda” rather than just Rwanda. The literally endless injustices by man to others throughout history  mirrors these words  “that man has dominated man to his harm” (Ecclesiastes 8:9). The song focuses on only a small part of these human abuses as it enumerates some at the end of the song.. However there is hope and a future change coming. Notice how it is mentioned various times. “But there are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell”.2 Peter 3:13. “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away,”-Revelation 21:1. “For look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be called to mind, Nor will they come up into the heart”.—Isaiah 65:17. ““For just as the new heavens and the new earth that I am making will remain standing before me,” declares Jehovah, “so your offspring and your name will remain.”—Isaiah 65:22. The old earth will pass away when the action , “bringing to ruin those ruining the earth”.will shortly take place—Revelation 11:18.  These are the inspirations behind the song, Where did you come from RWANDA”.

While performing this song one member of the audience remarked that this killing started even before those mentioned in the song referring to the wars in the Bible. Many bring up Johsua’s war against the Canaanites. Asking why all those people were killed. Read the consideration below.

Was Joshua’s order to kill all living things in Canaan including, men women and children an ethnic cleansing and even if not why such a destruction of seemingly innocent persons ?

To answer the above question, one has to consider:  1. What was the problem that needed resolution?  2. What was the complete role of God in the matter , the one who had given the order?  3. What needed to be protected that would require such a drastic action and how would it benefit all those involved?

1. What was the problem that needed resolution? Abraham went through the land of Canaan living in tents  for years with the promise that the land would be saved for his descendants for a specific purpose that would benefit all humanity.  Those living in Canaan at the time had knowledge of that and had still a certain fear of God evidenced by a leaders concern of displeasing God when almost taking the wife of Abraham and later that of Isaac. However, after going down to Egypt and hundreds of years having past, the situation in Canaan had changed drastically. As if to thwart any purpose God had for it , it became filled with bloodshed, degraded immoral practices and child burnt offerings to Canaanite Gods. Such degraded forms of worship filling the land would be very detrimental to an already stiff-necked race of people who were constantly being influenced by the actions of those around them. So, all those Canaanite squatters needed to be removed from the land so that the race chosen because of  a promise to faithful Abrahan could begin practicing the worship approved by God and eventually produce a descendant that would become the Messiah and that would bring an everlasting benefit to all humanity . Also, the  lineage of that descendant needed protection. Why ? Because it was a matter that would affect the whole human race, those living and dead! Very few were willing to vacate the land or change their reprehensible conduct and subject themselves as did the Gibeonites. Removal was imperative because the entire world of mankind could be lost forever. How would God solve this problem, how would you or I?
2. What was the complete role of God in the matter , the one who had given the order? The scripture say God IS LOVE not has love. His expression of love is far above anything we have ever known regarding love. Also, we are told in 2 peter that he  desires no one to be destroyed but wants all to attain life. The above being the case, then how would he solve the problem of the Canaanite squatters.

What are ways the problem could be solved without taking the permanent lives of those involved? God could have removed them all as he did Elijah and established them in another part of the earth. But then that would be aiding them to continue their burnt sacrifices of children and degraded practices. Could God really sanction such practices or help them continue. He could have forced all to change their worship, taking away  their freedom of choice, which he has always allowed from the beginning when Adam and Eve made their wrong choice. Or they could be put to sleep in death as was done with Enoch to protect him from the violence he was about to suffer so as to have his life returned at a later date.  Jesus later mentioned that those Canaanites as well as others would be resurrected, and they even may show a better attitude than those who saw the works that Jesus did as the Messiah and still did not believe. So, what was lost and what was gained?  Lost was a few more years of life of degraded practices and children dying horribly as burnt offerings of which all would eventually end anyway due to a short life span. Gained was a future life and a chance to live forever in perfect health on an earth without war, crime, sickness, and disease and arriving at the highest potential ever in every aspect of life. But to ensure such a future ,what had to be protected?

3. What needed to be protected that would require such a drastic action?

God had promised immediately after the failure of Adan and Eve in Genisis 3: 15 that a seed or a descendant would come and take a drastic action in repairing and replacing what was lost. That descendant would come through a specific line of descent. Through Abraham, Issac , Jacob then  David and through his subsequent offspring to the birth of Jesus the final one who would be the Messiah and who would take steps to correct all things and return all things back as they should have been originally in the Garden of Eden. That line had to be protected because there was a constant attack to destroy it so it could not be accomplished. What were the incessant attacks and how often. Starting with the first couple , Abel was killed, then as descendants came through Seth the world become so violent that during the time of Noah only 8 people in all the world survived by which the descendant could come. Then after the flood great empires were developed that would eventually try to interfere with the line of descent. The line would come through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob but two of their wives were almost taken by Canaanite Kings. Through Jacobs son Judah the descendant would come which eventually brought us to David and it was promised now to come through Davids’s line. But David had  constant attempts on his life by Saul and others as well as his son Absolom  which if killed would have eliminated the line through David.  He faced death many times as he expressed in the Psalms from various sources. David almost disqualified himself by his attempted action to kill all the males of Nabal household making him blood guilty of innocent life only stopped   by Abigail who later prophesied that God would give him a lasting house referring to linage that would continue through him for an eternal Kingdom through his future descendant Jesus. The line then came through David s son Solomen  who  acquired many foreign wives so who would the seed come through now. It finally came through the Kings son   who caused a rupture  completely dividing  the kingdom in two. And attempts to brake and destroy the lineage. For example, Athaliah the mother of King Ahaziah , upon his death rose up and illegally seized power as queen and killed all of her grandsons thus  destroying  most all in the royal line to the Messiah . Only 2-year-old Jehoash remained hidden and protected until 8 years old and then began to reign . Many Kings were killed or died leaving a child to rule and to continue the line of descent creating a delicate uncertainty. After  various  unfaithful kings that could have jeopardized the line, we come to Hezekiah who faced being attacked by Assyrian army of 185000  and then a grave sickness that both  could have taken his life possibly affecting the line leading to the Messiah.  Then at his death his son Manasseh began to rule and joined the Canaanite practice of sacrificing his sons in the fire of burnt offerings , again putting in jeopardy the line of descent. Later Manasseh s son Amon  was killed and his son Josiah who was the only one to continue the lineage. He  was also only eight years old. The last three kings involved in the line to the Messiah were dominated by Babylon kngs and the line of descent became more obscured. Then during the Persian empire with queen Ester a law was made that required the killing of all the Jews thus cutting off the line of descant.  However miraculously the line of descendants continued up to the Roman domination through Joseph and Mary to be born one who was called the son of David .   Without the birth of Jesus who was the ultimate purpose of this descendancy there would be no future hope for all mankind whether in heaven or on earth.  The Canaanite domination could not be allowed to interrupt this bigger picture that would bring a wonderful life even to those who resided in Canaan. Had they been allowed to remain in Canaan there would have been even more efforts to eliminate this line. As it was the small number of Canaanites that were not removed as instructed played a significant  roll in efforts to destroy this line leading to the Messiah and had they succeeded their short life span of sickness, old age, war would be all they had ever known. As it stands now the line of descent was protected and all humanity will have a chance to live forever on a cleansed earth including all those that were put to death in Johua’s time. Rather than look at the matter negatively, they were put to sleep to be preserved for a better , happier and pleasant life. John 5:28 tells us, “Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice”. THEY WILL BE BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE!