Christians - does God condone the killing of innocent babies?

Question

(Preface: I don't mean to offend - just trying to provoke thought. If you are easily offended - DON"T read the rest of this question - click on "BACK" right now. )

Exodus 12:29 says "At midnight the Lord stuck down all the firstborn in Egypt from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in the dungeon"

To make it even worse, God had deliberately "hardened Pharaoh's heart" to prevent him from letting the Jews leave Egypt - just to teach him a lesson, apparently.

How do you reconcile this baby-killing behavior with the nature of God?

Why does God say, "Thou Shalt Not Kill" when he seems to use mass murder as nothing more than an object lesson?

Would a non-Christian or Muslim reading the Bible correctly infer that the Christian God condones killing innocent babies if they are the enemies?

Thoughts?

Answer 1

Brace yourself for a hail of justifications and people telling you that the Bible is not actually saying what it is saying. You will even hear people defend Biblegod by saying "he's God, so everything he does is good."

Lame, but just watch.

Princess Somethingorother: Then how do you justify these passages? Remember: Biblegod SPECIFICALLY "hardened" the Pharoh's heart to keep him from letting the Israelites go just to pull this trick.

Answer 2

Actually that's a good question. In Exodus, it's talking about all the firstborn, not just children, everyone actually. That means adult or child. God was punishing the Egyptians for four centuries of mistreating his people. It should also be noticed that God's angel was the one doing the killing, not the people. However, there are other passages where God orders the Hebrew people to completely wipe out a nation, every man, woman and child.

It's not a comfortable thing, no, but it is true. The reason for that command was so that Israel was preserved. They failed to listen in some cases, and guess what. Some of those nations they didn't destroy are the very ones threatening to destroy them now.

I don't pretend that it's always a pleasant thing that God commands, nor comfortable. But God does have perfect knowledge, and as God he can judge before a person has even been born. That way was canceled though when Christ came. No longer was there just judgment without mercy. Now there is grace that pardons us for our sins. This is why Christians do not practice such things as we see in the Old Testament regarding war.

So God doesn't condone the killing of innocent babies, but he has at points judged nations and decreed for them to be wiped out. He punishes people according to what he finds is righteous. He doesn't ask our opinion.

Answer 3

Well, first of all, the 6th Commandment has been changed to "Thou Shalt Not Murder", which changes the tenor of that particular law.

Second, If you look through the bible, there are numerous instances of the innocent being struck down int he name of the Lord, so that gets really tough.

Third, something about your enemies and having them destroyed completely runs rampant through a lot of the Old Testament.

Answer 4

God is God. He gets to do what He wants. If we murder another human being, we've done wrong because we aren't God. God is Wisdom. We should never presume to be God and take another life. Only God gets to do that and in His infinite Wisdom. As for Pharaoh. He started by hardening his own heart. God finally hardened Pharaoh's heart after Pharaoh himself had hardened it many times.

Answer 5

SIGH !!!!!!!

1. God has promised "What you sow that shall you reap" God's just punishment for Egypt killing all the Israeli babies at the time of Moses.
2. God thinks eternal not temporal. These babies are safe with HIM FOREVER
3. Hardened = making Pharaoh's own choice permanent

Answer 6

God knew that these children would never come to Him, and change their hearts. He had given Pharaoh warnings after warnings of what He would do. They did not believe Him. The Children would have brought more hate in the world. God knows each heart. He is the final judge to all people.

Answer 7

That always bothered me too. God's going to have all those innocent children killed to teach a lesson? Really? Those children existed for no other reason than to DIE as part of his big "lesson"?

Answer 8

Satan has his children - Psalm 58:3, John 8:37-47, 1 John.3:8-10, 12, 1 Matthew 13:38, Revelation 2:9 below.


Ps.58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

1 Jn.3:8He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

1 Jn.3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his (God’s) seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

1 Jn.3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

1 Jn.3:12 Not as Cain, [who] was of that wicked one (Jn.8:44 above), and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

Matt.13:38The field is the world; the good seed are the CHILDREN of the kingdom; but the tares are the CHILDREN of the wicked one (1 Jn.3:12, Jn.8:44 above);

Re.2:9I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan (Jn.8:37-47).



Pat (ndbpsa ©)

Answer 9

Yes, God does condone killing of innocent babies. As for Him striking down all the first born in Egypt, I can't be sure but I believe he only did it to prove a point and to strike fear into the heart of the pharoh. He killed them for a better good, but he did grieve what he had to do. I believe that.

Answer 10

God is God no matter what you think about Him. Children belong to God anyway. Maybe He was using this to get the message out. Remember, children are never enemies of God. They are now in the better place.