Many cases in Old Testament, God treated people of one nation as a unit. Most part of the Old Testament is history of Israel chosen by God as His people: God redeemed and leaded Israel, and showed to other peoples that He is the only Lord through them. Thinking about that, it is strongly probable that God respected the unit of nations. What makes many people confused is God’s severe attitude towards Canaanites as written in Deuteronomy7:2. Stories there make me wonder if God really cared about each person in Canaan, not just as people as a unit. Though God also communicated and leaded individuals personally in the Old Testament, such as Moses and Jacob, those cases were under His purpose to use them as leaders of people.
Here, however, it will be necessary to consider where the nations in the Old Testament came from. They came from individuals. In Genesis 10, decedents of Noah’s sons became nations. Also, thinking about God’s promise of great nations to Abraham, nations can be seen as God’s blessing to individuals.
Therefore, when it comes to thinking about nations and individuals, we should think what kind of existence an individual is made as. In Genesis 2: 18, God made Eve for Adam: God made human beings in relationship with other human beings, especially family. Noah was saved with his family, so as Lot and his family. God saw individuals connected to their family, and nations can be seen as expanded family. That is why nations mattered so much to God, and he made them as units to bless as written in Deuteronomy 7:9. On the other hand, when they left God, they became units for His judgment. Therefore, in the contexts of Old Testament, we cannot separate individuals from nations.
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