I am 25 chapters deep in Deuteronomy and having a hard time with some of the concepts. I get that a lot of the rules were about better communal living and food safety and the like.
Where I am struggling is the seeming cruelty of some of the commands especially where it pertains to killing all the men women and children of towns. I get killing the men, maybe the women, but why innocent children? And why kill whole families?
Can anyone help?
Matt
Favorite Answer
I would say there were rules for living that men wrote, possibly misunderstanding what God's wants were.
moses1763
you are spending your time on the old testament which was meant for the jews and is irrelevant after the coming of christ, hence the new testament. All the rules and living conditions of the old testament were to show that even a face to face pact with god by the jewish people were unable or incapable of following the laws set forth in the old testament. Hence the new testament which sets forth Jesus christ as the only way to salvation, Jesus died for all that all may be with the father, he died for all sin and sinners past present and future rendering the law void.
Anonymous
It's called eugenics. It's similar to a Lion killing all the cubs that aren't his when he takes over a pride. Biology at its finest.
Anonymous
walla! there you have it. this is the god of the bible for you. a cruel, wrathful,and jealous god. i don't understand why people still worship this deity and still have the audacity to tell us that this cruel megalomaniac "loves us"