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If God Killed Babies in the Old Testament, Is He Still Good?
Wrestling with divine morality and the parts of scripture we avoid
I write about the love of God.
A lot.
And almost every time I do, someone comes along and leaves a comment reminding me of some Old Testament story where God commands mass slaughter, wipes out entire nations, or — most disturbingly — kills children.
It’s as predictable as the sunrise.
I write about God’s mercy, and someone drops a verse from 1 Samuel 15:3, where God tells Saul to destroy the Amalekites, “Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children, and infants.”
I talk about God’s kindness, and someone reminds me of the death of the Egyptian firstborns in Exodus 12. I speak about the God revealed in Jesus, and someone throws Psalm 137:9 in my face: “Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.”
They say it as if it were a “gotcha” moment. As if I didn’t know about the violence of the Old Testmant.
It’s not that I haven’t read these verses. It’s not that I don’t know they exist. It’s just that they don’t trouble me anymore.
Let me explain why.
