Matthew Schlimm’s main focus is directed towards the idea that violence is part of the fallen world we live in. His explicitly explains that we should not imitate biblical character’s actions or even God’s actions. Schlimm also believes that every passage doesn’t need to apply to us. As christians we won’t have an answer for every question that is raised by the disturbing texts of the old testament. Instead of seeing the old testament as a guide on how we should live, we should simply treat it as our “friend in faith”.
Schlimm makes a great point showing that if we apply each individual text directly to our lives, it won’t make sense. This is partly because some passages in the bible tell us about events that God doesn’t intend to duplicate
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Schlimm holds a judgement against God regarding his gruesome violence in the Old Testament. Schlimm doesn’t look at the big picture of why God took the actions he did against Canaan. Schlimm doesn’t even seem to acknowledge how Corrupt the Religious system of Canaan was. God committed these acts of violence because he has the right to render judgment upon evil. Schlimm’s concern should not be with us imitating the righteous acts of God, but instead focused on the principles God has shown us to imitate. In Daniel 2:20 we are told that God has the wisdom and power forever. We also know that God gives wisdom and power to the wise. We should imitate God through love and righteousness that will glorify him. God explicitly says that we do not have the right to make that judgement against evil. Beyond this stipulation God gives us guidance to help us imitate him, rewarding us with his wisdom and power. When Schlimm says it would be a mistake to imitate God’s actions, he is making a preposterous claim that completely stretches biblical interpretation. We should in fact strive to imitate God, in the ways we are given the power and guidance to imitate