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NASB | Leviticus 18:25 'For the land has become defiled, therefore I have brought its punishment upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Leviticus 18:25 'For the land has become defiled; therefore I have brought its punishment upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants. |
Bible Question: My 18 year old son wants to know why, if God is a compassionate God why did he kill (or order to be killed) so many people in the Old Testament. I think he is more interested in the war stories, etc. He is a Christian, but also a deep thinker and seems to want logic. I've been trying to give him spiritual answers, and the only one I can come up with is that God is HOLY and those that he instructed to be killed with UNHOLY. This isn't satisfying him. He also asks since God provided salvation through Christ for those coming after Christ, what about those who died before Christ - do they have salvation? I want to say the righteous were justified by faith, right? But again, that still doesn't satisfy him. Any clues on how to explain this? Thanks, Mom |
Bible Answer: Hi, Mom! I understand where you son is... I had an acquaintance who was so preocupied with the people that died in the Old Testament and the people who would be cast into damnation that he was beginning to resent God... I walked him through the Old Testament and into Revelation pointing out to him that God's Salvific Plan has taken all into consideration... it is His patience and mercy that we miss to comprehend when the Old Testament speak about mass killing in holy wars... reread the Old Testament with you son (as a Bible Study) and emphasize the various warnings against the rebelliousness of both Israel and the pagan people... you will find that God's wrath was unleashed after decades, if not hundreds, of years of counsel and warning and call to repentance! Yet, even those who died during the Old Covenant were visited by Christ, in the Spirit, for they were not cognizant of God's Promise (1 Peter 3:18-20, 4:6); remind your son that God chose Israel and rejected the Gentiles during the Old Covenant, so it was Israel who benefited from the knowledge of the Scripture... yet, to save both Israel and the Gentiles, even as far back as God's covenant with Abraham He promised Abraham that in him the Gentiles would find hope (Christ)... to better understand that relationship (Israel and the Gentiles) read Romans 9:1 through 11:32... add to this Hebrews 11 (the chapter on Faith) which speaks on the Promise being received by both the people under the Old Covenant and the people under the New Covenant so that all are partakers of God's Design--those who believe, of course! God Bless! Angel |