God's Laws

[Roseoftherese]

God gave us the Ten Commandments, and yet in the Old Testament, he was constantly ordering people to kill other people. He ordered pregnant women to be ripped apart, entire cities destroyed, and once told the Israelites that they should conquer a city but they could keep the women, children, and animals to themselves. Why do we respect God if he doesn't follow his own commands? Every single person realizes that things like this are wrong in some way. So why does God, who's supposed to be all-loving and everything, do things like this?

[Thy Geekdom Come]

First, I can't address the specific situations you mentioned unless I've given some verses. The Old Testament has many passages that are often misinterpreted so that people think God ordered something when He didn't. I'd like the verses so I can give you a better response, so please PM them to me.

However, as a general answer, I can tell you that when God does order the death of someone in Scripture or lead an army into battle, etc., He does so only because greater good will come from the act. We humans have no authority over life and therefore no right to take life (aside from self-defense and just war, when necessary), but God can give and take life at His choosing because He made it and has complete authority over it. Thankfully, we at least have the promise that God only takes life for the greater good (whereas we can't take life, even for the greater good). It is difficult to understand, but when God takes life, it is an exercise of both His justice and His mercy. If He commands an army to go invade a pagan town and kill everyone, we have to trust that God knew those pagans were better off gone, no longer sinning against Him, no longer following false gods and idols, etc. Sin destroys. Paganism is sin. Paganism destroys. So if people are destroying themselves and will do so very severely, God might take their lives in order to keep them from destroying themselves even more. This stops the sin (justice) and also saves the people from a worse fate (mercy).

Again, please PM me with some specific verses, but in the meantime, I hope the explanation helps.

God bless,

Micah