Question 38 – Why would God order the death of entire nations, even women and children?

"God's image as a loving and benevolent deity gets called into question by stories of seemingly cruel and vengeful behavior. Do these brutal accounts disclose the true character of God? And if they do, does he deserve to be worshiped?" [12]

I am faced with one of the most difficult questions that I need to address in this book, and with which I, as a Christian, have had to come to terms. If I have come to know God as loving and good, the logical question arises: Lord, why? I do not understand it. Therefore, I am not surprised that many Christians resort to relativitism, downplaying, and concealing these passages. At best, they pass over them as if they were not there. Some, because they do not like these texts, declare entire books as unrealistic parables (in the spirit of liberal theology), while others bluntly state that these stories contain errors and that a loving God would never command such things. However, I believe the Bible is the word of God from beginning to end. Therefore, the question I must answer is this: Is it even theoretically possible that a loving God could take a human life or command others to do so? For skeptics, the answer is clear—no. However, I dare to assert that it is. I will try to convey the reasons in the following essay.

Before we dive into a closer examination of this sensitive topic, it is necessary to emphasize several facts:

• Not everything the Bible writes about has God's approval. As previously mentioned, the Bible contains several individual and societal transgressions. These must not be confused with God's will. The Bible simply describes what happened—whether it involved pagan nations, His chosen people, or heroes of the faith. It's worth noting that the Bible also records many uttered lies, such as those from the mouth of Satan himself. It is therefore necessary to observe the overall context of a contentious passage before accusing God of wrongdoing, evil, or endorsing certain behavior.

• Some atrocities attributed to God by critics arise from misunderstandings of the context of the passage. Misunderstandings can arise in the same way that apparent contradictions do, which we addressed earlier. As an example, I can mention the firm conviction of one of my opponents who, in a discussion, claimed that God commanded human (child) sacrifices. He quoted the verse from Exodus 13:2: "Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine." arguing that this consecration implied death, as with firstborn animals. If it was so with animals, it was, supposedly, the same with humans. However, the Bible clearly forbids human sacrifice and also elaborates on what it means to "consecrate" the firstborn (incidentally, Jesus himself was consecrated in this manner as a child).

• This entire issue also gives rise to the impulse to separate the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament. Many perceive the God of the Old Testament as stern, cruel, vengeful, murderous, and a merciless tyrant, whereas the God of the New Testament is loving and forgiving. However, if we study the Bible comprehensively, we discover that God does not evolve but remains the same. For example, the word love is mentioned approximately as often in both testaments, while the word mercy is more dominant in the Old. It's paradoxical that the New Testament teaches about unimaginable horror—eternal judgment and destruction—whereas the Old Testament barely mentions this. Therefore, no, the God of the Old Testament is not distinct from the God of the New Testament. Jesus, the incarnate God and love, referred to the Old Testament as the highest authority, thereby confirming it. God does not change.

Now, let us examine one of the incriminated biblical texts that addresses this question. God commands:

"Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey." (1 Samuel 15:3)

These are very grave words. Anyone sensitive to human suffering faces a serious question: if this command was issued by a loving and just God, what terrible thing must these people have done? It is essential to approach this serious question from multiple perspectives. I aim to demonstrate that even such harsh commands are not inherently contradictory to the statement "God is love, merciful, and just." I understand that for many of you, such a statement may seem insensitive, but please consider the following arguments.

1) These nations were extremely corrupt

When we consider the appropriateness or inappropriateness of any punishment, we should at least partially understand the extent of the offense being punished.

Many people may envision a depraved God unjustly punishing innocent victims who merely did not favor His chosen people or Him while reading these texts. But this is not the case. The nations subjected to this judgment were extremely depraved and corrupt. It was a "cancer" that God decided to remove. These nations indulged in practices you yourself would consider very evil and depraved. They were brutal and cruel, and incest and sodomy were commonplace. When you learn that child sacrifice (by burning) to false gods was a usual practice, you begin to understand their corruption. There is also evidence that similar rituals were performed such as tying the legs of a woman in labor and leaving her until she died. These cultures also celebrated victories by impaling defeated enemies on stakes and dashing the heads of their infants against rocks. So much for their "innocence."

"...because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out before you." (Deuteronomy 9:4)

2) God has the right to take life

Some may ask, how is God then better than these depraved people? Whether we like it or not, God has absolute authority over every living creature on this planet. God created life and therefore can also take it. We must not kill ourselves because we have no power over life. God, however, does. Many people cannot bear this revelation because they believe they are their own masters and accountable to no one. The natural human mind refuses to believe that God is as just as He is merciful, that He rewards righteousness but also punishes wickedness. We find it hard to believe God could be enraged.

We prefer the notion of a gentle and kind God who overlooks our faults and who will one day turn a blind eye and let us be with him. But God is not only love; He is also the just ruler of the universe.

When I ponder the fact that many critics of the Bible do not use the global flood or the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as their strongest argument, the paradox is striking. But why don't they? After all, God wiped out the entire planet with the flood! In the case of those cities, He destroyed them entirely (including women and children)! Why, then, focus on some Bible passage where God commanded someone to kill an individual or a group of people? I suspect that in the case of the global flood and these cities, people are well aware of the reason. Many, at least subconsciously, perceive that it happened because human wickedness, immorality, and violence reached their peak. These people did not intend to repent but to continue in their sin. Therefore, God, in His sovereignty, has the right to remove this negative state because mankind was not created for such existence.

3) God had mercy

It is necessary to realize that these divine interventions were not irreversible! Anyone who wished to be saved and humbled themselves before God was not rejected, and God showed mercy to them. A prime example is the city of Nineveh, to which God sent His prophet Jonah to announce judgment—Nineveh would be destroyed and exterminated. But what happened? The people "came to themselves" and repented. They acknowledged their depravity, abandoned their wicked ways, and pleaded for God's mercy. And what happened? God was merciful. The city was spared. God is merciful!

It was similar with individuals who feared God (for example, the prostitute Rahab and her family during the siege of Jericho). The conclusion from the biblical text is clear—God punishes wickedness, but He is also merciful and desires to forgive if we desire it.

4) It might have been an act of mercy for these children

No matter how insensitive it may seem, the Bible states that children up to a certain age cannot choose good and evil, and we generally believe that they go to God if they die. However, if they were to remain in such a corrupt society, they would almost certainly become depraved, and God would have to reject them. (This does not mean we can murder children or have abortions and justify it by sending them to God—we are not God, and God forbids such actions!).

This argument would appear insensitive only if no eternity existed and physical life on this planet was all we had. If, however, eternity with God exists, this act was, for these particular children, essentially one of mercy from God's perspective, however incomprehensible it might sound.

5) They intended to annihilate Israel

It should also be noted that these nations sought to eradicate the people of Israel—a nation chosen by God for a special task: to bring forth the Messiah, whose significance would be of paramount importance for every living being on this planet.

6) A radical cut was necessary

Jesus often used the analogy of yeast in His teachings, where a small amount can leaven the whole dough. Through this, He emphasized the severity of even a small sin or negative aspect within a community of believers. If Israel merely defeated these nations without them being willing to change, then their destructive influence would have negatively affected God's plans and the development of the nation of Israel. For this reason, God perhaps decided to take such a radical step, even including the extermination of children. If only the men had perished, what would have happened to the children? Who would have cared for them, who would have provided for them? Even if the victorious army took them "for re-education," they would naturally have tended to seek revenge and follow in the footsteps of their ancestors.

This claim is confirmed by the fact that some Canaanites who were spared by Israel later caused Israel very serious problems.

7) They had chances to change

These nations were given the chance to leave their wicked ways. The Amalekites and all Canaanites had approximately 400 years to reform. Thus, God waited for several centuries before taking this kind of action. His actions were not at all hasty, as it may initially seem from these texts. A specific example is this divine proclamation, which attests to His patience lasting many decades:

"And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." (Genesis 15:16)

8) Offer of Peace

One of God's commands was that anytime the Israelites approached a city to do battle, they were to offer it peace. Of course, the Israelites could also disobey God, committing much evil themselves, and they might not have followed this command. However, if these nations had accepted such a peace offer, it would likely have resulted in the problems previously mentioned (see the discussion on leaven). Nevertheless, these nations were far from thoughts of peace.

"When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it." (Deuteronomy 20:10)

9) Death is Inevitable

Whenever we talk about the death of any person, including children, we must first acknowledge the fact that everyone will die someday. So why accuse God of such a "negligible" fact, that He commanded the taking of the lives of several wicked people or nations, and not directly accuse Him of "killing" 100% of all humanity because He allows everyone to die someday? Have you ever thought about that? Death awaits everyone someday; it is a consequence of our earlier rebellion. However, it will not signify the end. For those who accept God, it will be a "birth" into a new life devoid of all evil, fear, and misfortune.

What does this mean for us?

The above essay is not an exhaustive defense, nor is it an exhaustive indictment of the way God's actions are portrayed in the Bible. I wanted to illustrate through the most pressing examples that even this radical behavior may have its justification (if we consider it in the context of divine holiness). I also want to emphasize that these passages have only and exclusively their historical context concerning specific nations. In no case do they justify "killing infidels." Any propagation of faith by force and violence is impermissible from God's perspective. Christians are called to love their neighbors and even their enemies.

People often take offense at God judging someone in the past. The reality, however, is much more complicated—God judges even today, and His judgment could come upon you too! It might even be during this life or after your death. No one can escape judgment. Do you reject God? Do you live a depraved life before God, no matter how much you justify it in your own eyes? God loves us and offers forgiveness so that we may not be judged. This offer extends to you, dear reader. You do not have to perish eternally; that is not God's will. God's will is that you are saved!

Summation

God’s actions in the Old Testament are sometimes incomprehensible to us. However, if we examine them from different perspectives, we may find some justification. Therefore, even this argument against God’s goodness cannot ultimately be considered insurmountable.