If we find it difficult to comprehend such bloodthirstiness, perhaps we’ve struck a compromise with our own enemies. Failing to see the metaphor in these Old Testament stories, we reason that our enemies aren’t as bad as all that, and it’s better to let sleeping dogs lie. We may not even admit we have enemies, because that would mean having to fight them. It seems easier to live with a false peace, never confronting the evil that stalks us. Yet if we want to achieve joy, we must take up the sword.
