Old Testament Killing and a Loving God
To say that some Christians struggle trying to reconcile the New and Old Testament on the issue of killing is an understatement. By many accounts, the God of the Old Testament is tyrannical and judgmental, while the God of the New Testament is loving, kind, and patient. To make matters worse, secularists today have committed immense resources into spreading the idea that the God of the Bible is a homophobic, angry, bully who is dead set on genocide. Thousands of YouTube videos, books, and movies are dedicated to spreading this idea and ultimately confusing those who chose to follow Jesus.
My wife and I finally got around to watching the movie Exodus with Christian Bail about the flight of the Israelites from Egypt. As the plagues were coming down on the Egyptians, Moses finally threatens the pharaoh with the worst possible plague, the death of the first born. It's here when the Pharaoh confronts Moses with the question, what kind of God would kill innocent children? Of course that is not recorded in the Bible, nor did Pharaoh say that while seeing Egypt enslave large populations, relegating them to extreme poverty where it is certain many children died. But it does serve to remind us how determined Hollywood is to undermine Christianity and this idea of a homicidal god is their best chance.
Though most of the time, atheists are taking verses entirely out of context, both Biblical and historical context, the truth is that there are some scriptures that are difficult to understand and require some thinking and knowledge of history. The incident that we referenced is a case in point, the execution of young Children in Egypt to free the Israelites. The atheist's assertion is straight forward; how could a loving God who claims the moral high ground kill young children and even babies? God does claim to be holy and sinless, and yet in the case of Egypt specifically, directed the killing of these children. If I killed even one child I would certainly lose any right to moral superiority. So how is God different?
How do we Explain the Sanctioned Killings in the Bible?
As we read through the Old Testament, we do see a tremendous amount of bloodshed. The Jews invade Canaan with incredible brutality, King David kills Philistines, Babylon destroys Jerusalem on God's command, and so forth. How could we justify such behavior and still claim God is a God of love and forgiveness. The answer can be found in Deuteronomy 9:4-5.
“After the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, ‘The LORD has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.’ No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is going to drive them out before you. It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the LORD your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Deuteronomy 9:4-5).
From Sodom and Gomorrah, to Noah's flood to the destruction of the Canaanites, every act that leads to death is due to judgment for sin. Of course the question remains, is that justifiable. I was once in a public debate with two atheists. Initially, one of the atheists was complaining about a world with evil in it and how was it possible that a loving God would allow such suffering. Later in the debate, the other was convicting God for all the killing in the Old Testament. But the truth is you can't have it both ways, complain about evil and then complain when God stomps it out. In every case, you had wicked people causing unthinkable acts of injustice and in every case they are given a chance to repent, the best examples being Nineveh and Israel. In the case of Nineveh, they did repent and God spared them.
Now some examples the atheists use are killings that are not always approved by God, like the destruction of the city of Shechem by Jacob's sons. In Judges, chapters 19 and 20, the Bible records the brutal rape and murder of a young woman in Gibeah. But a careful reading of the text will show no approval of the killing took place, in fact the inhabitants of Gibeah are called murderers for their acts and God sends Israel to judge them.
Can a Moral God Kill Babies?
Now the examples we noted exclude the possibility of God killing babies, because we can presume that the sins of a baby hardly merit their death. So how could God claim to be holy and still approve of the death of children. Well there are two premise that must be agreed upon before we can make the case on God's behalf. Let me start the first with an example. If I was walking the streets of Austria-Hungary in 1890, and I came across a one year old child and I murdered that child, would it be a moral act? Of course it would not be for me. Now if I had infinite knowledge and it turns out I knew that the one year old baby was named Adolf Hitler and I knew of the atrocities that would be committed at his hands, would that be a moral act? If his death meant that millions would be spared, of course it would be a moral act. So the first point is that I cannot murder and be considered moral, but God, who has infinite knowledge can kill a child, if He knew He was sparing other lives.
The second point is that God sees history in light of eternity, and therefore can make decisions based on an eternal perspective. So then, if God knew that at an older age of accountability, this particular child would reject salvation or perhaps experience significant suffering, would it be moral for God to usher him into eternity prematurely? Of course this would be moral and just and loving. So therefore, in light of who God is and His infinite knowledge, God and only God can allow for the death of a child and still remain a holy and moral being. But it must be understood that God has infinite knowledge and that God grants salvation.
Would a Loving God allow Evil to go Unpunished?
Imagine two societies, both with kings. The first allows people to do what they want with no rules. Rape, lying, and theft go unpunished and therefore rampant. The other king establishes strict rules of justice and order. Which is the more loving king? Of course the one who punishes injustice and sin, because to let sin go unpunished is to show more love for the criminal than the victim. Sin always has an injured party, even if it's the individual who commits the sin, though in the Biblical cases it appears to be people and nations bent on injustices, which claim multiple victims.
Jonah and Nineveh shows the patience of God in dealing with sinful people. God always waited for the nations who ultimately experienced judgment to turn from their despicable ways and always warned them of the judgment that was coming. The book of Jonah describes God’s patience with the Ninevites, who finally did turn from their evil ways and avoided destruction. Other peoples and cultures could have repented of their sins, but they chose not to. Amalek (described in 1 Samuel) routinely attempted to commit genocide against Israel, but was given 400 years by God to repent. But Amalek continued to commit its atrocities against Israel, so God judged them via Saul and the Israeli army.
Islamic Jihad and the Bible?
Today, some claim that the Old Testament killings are much like Islamic Jihad or genocide. While Islamic Jihad is an eternal mandate to convert by the sword and genocide is generally focused on destroying a particular culture, the killing in the Bible is specific and always the administration of justice to a sinful nation which, at times included Israel. The example of Assyria and Babylon destroying (judging) Israel excludes the possibility of genocide because these were God's chosen people who were being judged, demonstrating that God shows no partiality when judging sin.
Articles
Killing, Murder, and the Bible Kyle Butt M.A.
My wife and I finally got around to watching the movie Exodus with Christian Bail about the flight of the Israelites from Egypt. As the plagues were coming down on the Egyptians, Moses finally threatens the pharaoh with the worst possible plague, the death of the first born. It's here when the Pharaoh confronts Moses with the question, what kind of God would kill innocent children? Of course that is not recorded in the Bible, nor did Pharaoh say that while seeing Egypt enslave large populations, relegating them to extreme poverty where it is certain many children died. But it does serve to remind us how determined Hollywood is to undermine Christianity and this idea of a homicidal god is their best chance.
Though most of the time, atheists are taking verses entirely out of context, both Biblical and historical context, the truth is that there are some scriptures that are difficult to understand and require some thinking and knowledge of history. The incident that we referenced is a case in point, the execution of young Children in Egypt to free the Israelites. The atheist's assertion is straight forward; how could a loving God who claims the moral high ground kill young children and even babies? God does claim to be holy and sinless, and yet in the case of Egypt specifically, directed the killing of these children. If I killed even one child I would certainly lose any right to moral superiority. So how is God different?
How do we Explain the Sanctioned Killings in the Bible?
As we read through the Old Testament, we do see a tremendous amount of bloodshed. The Jews invade Canaan with incredible brutality, King David kills Philistines, Babylon destroys Jerusalem on God's command, and so forth. How could we justify such behavior and still claim God is a God of love and forgiveness. The answer can be found in Deuteronomy 9:4-5.
“After the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, ‘The LORD has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.’ No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is going to drive them out before you. It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the LORD your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Deuteronomy 9:4-5).
From Sodom and Gomorrah, to Noah's flood to the destruction of the Canaanites, every act that leads to death is due to judgment for sin. Of course the question remains, is that justifiable. I was once in a public debate with two atheists. Initially, one of the atheists was complaining about a world with evil in it and how was it possible that a loving God would allow such suffering. Later in the debate, the other was convicting God for all the killing in the Old Testament. But the truth is you can't have it both ways, complain about evil and then complain when God stomps it out. In every case, you had wicked people causing unthinkable acts of injustice and in every case they are given a chance to repent, the best examples being Nineveh and Israel. In the case of Nineveh, they did repent and God spared them.
Now some examples the atheists use are killings that are not always approved by God, like the destruction of the city of Shechem by Jacob's sons. In Judges, chapters 19 and 20, the Bible records the brutal rape and murder of a young woman in Gibeah. But a careful reading of the text will show no approval of the killing took place, in fact the inhabitants of Gibeah are called murderers for their acts and God sends Israel to judge them.
Can a Moral God Kill Babies?
Now the examples we noted exclude the possibility of God killing babies, because we can presume that the sins of a baby hardly merit their death. So how could God claim to be holy and still approve of the death of children. Well there are two premise that must be agreed upon before we can make the case on God's behalf. Let me start the first with an example. If I was walking the streets of Austria-Hungary in 1890, and I came across a one year old child and I murdered that child, would it be a moral act? Of course it would not be for me. Now if I had infinite knowledge and it turns out I knew that the one year old baby was named Adolf Hitler and I knew of the atrocities that would be committed at his hands, would that be a moral act? If his death meant that millions would be spared, of course it would be a moral act. So the first point is that I cannot murder and be considered moral, but God, who has infinite knowledge can kill a child, if He knew He was sparing other lives.
The second point is that God sees history in light of eternity, and therefore can make decisions based on an eternal perspective. So then, if God knew that at an older age of accountability, this particular child would reject salvation or perhaps experience significant suffering, would it be moral for God to usher him into eternity prematurely? Of course this would be moral and just and loving. So therefore, in light of who God is and His infinite knowledge, God and only God can allow for the death of a child and still remain a holy and moral being. But it must be understood that God has infinite knowledge and that God grants salvation.
Would a Loving God allow Evil to go Unpunished?
Imagine two societies, both with kings. The first allows people to do what they want with no rules. Rape, lying, and theft go unpunished and therefore rampant. The other king establishes strict rules of justice and order. Which is the more loving king? Of course the one who punishes injustice and sin, because to let sin go unpunished is to show more love for the criminal than the victim. Sin always has an injured party, even if it's the individual who commits the sin, though in the Biblical cases it appears to be people and nations bent on injustices, which claim multiple victims.
Jonah and Nineveh shows the patience of God in dealing with sinful people. God always waited for the nations who ultimately experienced judgment to turn from their despicable ways and always warned them of the judgment that was coming. The book of Jonah describes God’s patience with the Ninevites, who finally did turn from their evil ways and avoided destruction. Other peoples and cultures could have repented of their sins, but they chose not to. Amalek (described in 1 Samuel) routinely attempted to commit genocide against Israel, but was given 400 years by God to repent. But Amalek continued to commit its atrocities against Israel, so God judged them via Saul and the Israeli army.
Islamic Jihad and the Bible?
Today, some claim that the Old Testament killings are much like Islamic Jihad or genocide. While Islamic Jihad is an eternal mandate to convert by the sword and genocide is generally focused on destroying a particular culture, the killing in the Bible is specific and always the administration of justice to a sinful nation which, at times included Israel. The example of Assyria and Babylon destroying (judging) Israel excludes the possibility of genocide because these were God's chosen people who were being judged, demonstrating that God shows no partiality when judging sin.
Articles
Killing, Murder, and the Bible Kyle Butt M.A.