In the Old Testament, God ordered the genocide of the Canaanites, including infants. (In some cases he allowed

Question

them to keep the young virgin women alive — Numbers 31:17-18.) How can this be reconciled with the idea of a just and merciful God?

Answer 1

your the godfather

Answer 2

I would suggest you read more of the Bible then just a few verse (btw it was the Midians and not the Canaanites). God can just and merciful, but at the same time the Bible has the story of Job which demonstrates that much injustice can occur to an individual as well.

Good Luck!!!

Answer 3

Well, IF you read the entire passage, it tells you why. The Canaanites were leading the children of Israel astray to false gods. They were fornicating with the daughters of Canaan.

So they were instructed to kill off the women who had sexual knowledge and the male children, who would seek revenge. This isn't rocket science here. He said, "Keep the virgins alive."

You believe that to transgress against God is nothing. Yet to the Israelites, they had broken one of the TOP TEN in COMMANDMENTS. NOT suggestions as modern "scholars" want them to be portrayed.

If Israel had gone on and continued, they'd be worshipping other gods. To God, this is unacceptable. His justice was swift. You caused my people to stray!

He was merciful in that the virgins were allowed to stay alive. They had not transgressed. They could serve (not sexually obviously for the men) as servants to the Israelite wives or for cleaning/order in the homes of the Israelite single men, which generally lived with elderly parents.

The evolutionists use this passage often to try and convict Godly minded people that this is outrageous behavior. Yet the problem is that evolutionists believe they are logical and empathetic because they have great minds. The problem with that line of reasoning is that it has no logical base. Empathy is emotionally based, not in logic.
Therefore they are basing their logic in feeling. I don't feel that it is proper for God to say, "Kill the male children and the girls who are sexually active..."

Logically, "The male children will grow and one day seek revenge for what the Israelites did to the mothers of Canaanite/Israelite offspring." "Also, if the Canaanite women did it before, they would do it again!" "Those that are NOT sexually active, are not going out there and whoring themselves with the Israelites... If we leave them alone, they'll get killed off by other nations... Let them come in among the Israelites as servants so they will be protected and learn Israelite ways to become healthier and hopefully spiritually strong."

That's thinking based on logic rather than FEELING like the evolutionists.

Answer 4

unfortunatley they were the enemies; trust me you don't want to be an enemy of God , as this story shows.Plus it was war: God was on thier side and they won.As for the infants that doesn't really make sense, but some place other in the new testament it said some thing about the children bieng punished for the sins of thier fathers. But Jesus changed all that when he came to earth (after the days of the old testament). you see, the only way for the isreailites were able to function with God is if they greatly feared him, but when Jesus came he gave us the opportunity to have a personal relationship with him,not just fear him.

Answer 5

It can't logically. But in matters of faith, logic doesn't play much of a part.
Indeed the Old Testament God did a number of things that were unjust and unmerciful. Paul was in spin doctor in a way, hence the New testament God's more user freindly image.

Answer 6

I think the Canaanites did something very bad. So he needed their spirits in heaven so he could chastise them in person.

Answer 7

No matter what you question in the bible there is always someone who will twist the answer round to make the bible right.There's so much to question but they can never give you a straight answer.