Does God kill?
Among Christians is the mindset that God never kills. This is justified by the fact that God is love, so love cannot kill. They also explain that the Ten Commandments contain “thou shalt not kill,” and God applies this to Himself.
Let’s start with the fact that in many places in Scripture, God gives the command to kill. Moreover, God in His law requires that certain sins be punishable by death. The commandment “thou shalt not kill” applies to everything, with the exception of things which God in His law punishes with death.
For example, there was a case where murder from holy wrath quenched God’s wrath and saved all of Israel:
Numbers 25:1-12
„While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. And the LORD said to Moses, "Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the LORD, that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel." And Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor." And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting. When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand. And the LORD said to Moses, "Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy. Therefore say, 'Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace,”
When Israel went through the conquest, God commanded the total extermination of certain nations. This is the same God who commanded, “thou shalt not kill”. If we have no knowledge of God, we do not understand the law. Without the knowledge of God, we cannot understand why Moses gave the order to kill the Midianite prisoners, we cannot understand why Jehu (2Kings 10) or Elijah slaughtered the priests of Baal (1Kings 18), why Samuel cut Agag to pieces (1Samuel 15:33). But the counter-camp may say they were human, but God never kill people. Well, they are very wrong!
It was God who once killed everyone except Noah and his family (Genesis 6:17). It was God who killed the sons of Judah (Genesis 38:7-10), the Egyptians (Numbers 33:4), Korah (Numbers 16:32), many thousands of the people of Israel (Numbers 32:10-11), Uzzah (1Chronicles 13:10), Nabal (1Samuel 25:38), the children of Bathsheba and David (2Samuel 12:15-18), Jeroboam (2Chronicles 13:20), Herod (Acts 12:21-23), Ananias, and Sapphira (Acts 5).
But let’s turn to God’s wonderful love. Many believe that God is unable to kill because of His great love. Such people do not then think that the punishment of damnation cannot be compared to physical death, so if God could send people to condemnation, would He not be able to kill anyone physically? Or maybe they think that God won’t send anyone to condemnation?
Matthew 25:41
„"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
God is not only a loving God, but also a righteous God. Those who know only the loving God do not really know God.
There is a third thing that is argued for, namely that the God of the Old Testament kills, but Jesus would never do that. Those who think this way are already contrary to the unity of the Father and Jesus. Furthermore, they do not understand the second coming of Jesus and the prophecies about Him.
Revelation 19:13
„He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.”
Jesus' garment is not bloody of his own blood, but covered with the blood of his enemies. Read from Isaiah one of the prophecies about Jesus:
Isaiah 63:1-4
„Who is this who comes from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Bozrah, he who is splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? "It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save." Why is your apparel red, and your garments like his who treads in the winepress? "I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their lifeblood spattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel. For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption had come.”
Many examples could be mentioned from the Bible, but for those who are inclined to the truth, that is enough.
Antal Farkas
(June 26, 2021)
