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NASB | 1 Samuel 15:18 and the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are exterminated.' |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Samuel 15:18 and the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go, totally destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are eliminated.' |
Bible Question: Is God promoting genocide? Why? |
Bible Answer: The theme of vengeance runs throughout the Old Testament. In Numbers 31:2-3, God commanded Moses to "Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites" and Moses then commanded his people to "carry out the LORD's vengeance on them." Ecclesiastes 3 comfirms that there is indeed "a time to kill" (vs 3) and "a time for war." (vs 8) But Jeremiah and Paul help us to see when those times arise. Jeremiah 46:10 says, "But that day belongs to the Lord, the LORD Almighty-- a day of vengeance, for vengeance on his foes," and Paul says in Romans 12:19, "Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord." God is the only one who is capable of vengeance. He judges the heart, He judges fairly, and He alone has authority to judge (Psalm 7:11, Psalm 51:4, Psalm 75:7, Nahum 1:2-3). When we take vengeance into our own hands, we execute our own judgment and seek to fulfill our own desires, which are often sinful. So to answer your question, yes God commanded Saul to destroy the enemies of the Lord (God authorized the "genocide"), to take vengeance on the foes of the Lord. This is not the promotion of genocide but rather the execution of the will of God. The important thing in the verse is that the Amalekites were "sinners," and God had judged them and the result of this judgment was God's command for Saul to destroy them. (You can read on to see how Saul didn't obey this command and he too found himself under the wrath of God. [1 Samuel 15:7-26]) Shaun |
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Questions and/or Subjects for 1 Sam 15:18 | Author | ||
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Searcher56 | ||
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Sandman | ||
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Makarios | ||
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Sandman |