What About This Old Testament "Killer God"?

In the comment section, Debra said

"one of the issues I've always had with GOD is the apparent changing nature between OT and NT."

And indeed the change is almost incomprehensible. I’ve come across articles that explain away the change in God's personality and dealings in two different ways than the views expressed in the Voice of the Good Shepherd. They both seem to be a plausible way of looking at things. They see things either from the viewpoint that God did indeed order the Israelites to wipe out the other cultures or that he permitted them to...BUT.....they put the scope of it.....and the reasons for it....and the consequences of it, in an entirely different perspective. Either of these views soften the horror of what is recorded in the OT. Either view "let's God off the hook" a bit.
I've pondered these different views for several years and lately have come to find peace in the view presented in the Voice of the Good Shepherd. (I talked about it at length in an earlier post by the same name) I am not dogmatic about it but eventually we must simply “pick a lane and stay in it” until it is clear we are supposed to turn around or stop or hang a left or right. In the past, I have been the proverbial double minded man James warns of concerning this and many other issues. I've gotten better.

In this post, I’m going to focus on an article from a website called The Good News About God, owned by Lorraine Day. What About This Old Testament "Killer God?" is the name of the article. There are parts that I chose to simply ignore because they seemed a bit far fetched, bordering on paranoid. The whole Y2K thing came to mind. There are writings about end times events, weather control and medical conspiracies. If any of these things are of interest she has plenty of articles on her site. It is not my intent to criticize her beliefs or her writings. In fact, I am very grateful to her for helping me see things from a different paradigm.

One of the things this article points out is that it is plainly stated in scripture that God planned to drive the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites out of the land using, among other things…..HORNETS!! I am sure that some of you more studied Bible readers know all of this but it was news to me!!!!

Following are the scriptures that refer to this:

Conquest of Canaan Promised
Exodus 23:20"Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. 21Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.22"But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will bean enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.23"When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and theHittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites,and I blot them out, 24you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillarsin pieces. 25You shall serve the LORD your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you. 26None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. 27I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. 29I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. 30Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land. 31And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. 32You shall make no covenant with them and their gods. 33They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you."

So apparently this could be taken to mean that God did not purpose for them to slay their enemies because HE was going to run them out…it even says little by little in one place.
Following is a quote from the article:

When God brought Israel out of Egypt, they came out without weapons. God delivered them from bondage by His methods, without them having to fight anyone. They crossed the Red Sea and escaped from Pharaoh's army without any combat of their own. We have no record that the Israelites left Egypt equipped for war. "The Lord your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes." (Deut 1:30)
When God finally brought Israel to the borders of the Promised Land, He proposed to drive their enemies out by sending hornets, not by warfare. (Ex 23:28) But somewhere along the way, Israel obtained weapons. It is surmised that they may have gathered them when they floated up on the shore after the drowning of the Egyptian army at the Red Sea. The question is this: If Israel chose to be a military nation in spite of God's wish to protect them in His own way, would He not then have rejected them?


The answer is found in an example in the later history of the nation. God never intended Israel to have a king, other than Himself. But He did not reject them when they demanded one. Why did they want a king? "That we may be like all the nations" (1 Sam. 8:19). God warned them of the results of their choice, but He did not reject them for it. God's response to Israel was similar to His response regarding their practice of both polygamy and slavery, which were never God's ideal will. But He still did not completely reject Israel because of these practices. When Israel practiced these heathen customs, they distanced themselves from God and could not enjoy His fullest blessing, but God continued to protect and guide Israel as much as they would allow Him. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the Israelites themselves could have chosen a military defense against God's ideal will, without His rejecting them for it.

This line of reasoning only seems to work if you adhere to the limited free will line of thought, however, the author believes in total determinism ….which is one of the inconsistencies I see in the article. If you believe the Israelites desire to fight was put there by God in the first place and he let them have their own way, this line of reasoning doesn't make sense…..although the author does try to make it work. To me, it just seems to use those same tired, old contradictory arguments total determinists often use to make their point. In order for this theory to work, I think you have to look at things in a way that does allow for some play….for some degree of choice on the part of man and some degree of God’s permissive will in action. Not just his perfect, inflexible, "carved in stone" unchangeable will.

When expressed this way, it does make sense and seems to soften the outrage of the OT atrocities. The incredulous cry of “How could God do such a thing!!" They wanted it, they whined for it (like they whined for a king rather than a judge time after time after time) God told them it was the wrong path, yet they insisted so he relented and gave them over to their own wills, and he did not desert them.

Since his purpose was for the Israelites to inherit the land he promised to Abraham and for them to be separate and not intermarry in order to prevent them from absorbing parts of the culture as their own, he helped them carry this out, even though it was not in his perfect will for them to fight.

To those of us who believe in UR, death does not carry the same terror as it does to those who hold a more traditional view. How would you come to terms with the thought that God ordered the slaughter of the women and children and then sent them all to hell. We universalists believe his dealings with us are not finished at death and that ultimately these women and children... and even the men who were the warriors......will all eventually be reconciled to God.

This article puts a different slant on where the responsibility for the Old Testament atrocities lies. Of course, God is ultimately responsible for everything since he has the ultimate veto power but God's words in scripture (taken from the point of view of this article) reflect more of a desire for Israel’s enemies to leave….that it was more in the spirit of a deportation rather than a slaughter. The atrocities originated in the heart of man, not the heart of God.

It seems I have a lot more to say about this article and this topic, but since this post is already way too long, I will save it for another time. In the meantime, take a look at the article and the website. Interesting......