“…he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.”
–Exodus 12:23b

Ever met a ham-as-hit?

If you had, you’d probably remember. A ham-as-hit is a slayer. An executioner. An angel of destruction.

Aka, The Destroyer(s).

Such an angel or angels are described by a few different variations, but they pop up throughout the scriptures.

In Exodus 13, God instructs the Israelites to put blood on their doorposts so “the Destroyer” won’t strike them down when it passes over. Job calls them messengers of death. Proverbs calls them agents of a king’s wrath.

In 2 Samuel, God sends the Destroyer to demolish Jerusalem but recalls the angel at the last second. In 2 Kings, the Destroyer takes out 185,000 soldiers.

It’s not just an Old Testament thing. Paul mentions the Destroyer in both Corinthians and Hebrews. And Revelation refers to the king of the bottomless pit with the same name.

The Destroyers. Sounds like a biker gang. Or more aptly, God’s Heavenly Hit Squad.

Did you notice? Sometimes the Destroyer works on behalf of the Israelites, and other times very much against. Always, though, it is an agent of God’s divine retribution.

I realize there are plenty of people out there who grew up with that very understanding of God. Step out of line? Watch your back. There’s plenty of material—especially in the early books of scripture—that shows a side of God that is fierce, protective, and willing to unleash destruction when circumstance demands it.

A God of justice and punishment. A God that expects God’s people to fall in line and threatens destruction when they don’t.

I guess it never clicked for me that there was an elite group tasked with carrying out the grizzlier parts of God’s wrath.

My question is: Why are there so many Christians longing to join their ranks? I guess when you view the world as a heathen rebellion against your version of God, it’s easy to view yourself as a slayer of sinners, an executioner of vermin, a destroyer of the “blasphemous”.

It is possible to read the Bible like that. Plenty do. That’s why some people hate Christianity and why some other people flock to it.

If you know someone with aspirations to be a Destroyer, make sure to tell them the job is only available for angels. I don’t exactly know that arrangement works, but I do know that humans are meant to act out of loving, clean hearts…

not pretending to

be doing

God’s dirty work.

Have a great week,

Mitch