Recently, while reading I Samuel 15, I was troubled. The Old Testament often troubles me, with all it’s gory violence and crazy sacrificing. Sometimes I read some passages and they seem to go against the very nature of the God I believe in.
Here’s the first part of 1 Samuel, chapter 15.
Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the Lord sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord. 2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”
Now, the whole point of the story is that Saul is disobedient to God. He doesn’t follow the instructions and spares some of the good cattle, thinking it would be a great idea to make a sacrifice to the Lord. You can read the rest of the chapter to see how he screwed up. But for right now, I’m just looking at these verses.
I get tripped up in passages like this. These instructions that come from God seem so counter intuitive to the gentle, loving God that is preached in our churches. Really, God? Kill everyone? Infants, children? Innocent little babies that are totally clueless? Sweet little bleating sheep that have done nothing?
I took an Old Testament course in college, and we spent lots of time poring over passages like this. I know that the Amalekites were evil, like reeeeally evil. I understand that God wanted to wipe out everyone, to take away all the temptations to be like these people. He was showing mercy to the Israelites, trying to help them out. I get that. But it still bothers me.
It’s easy to just read these words, to brush by them like reading a history textbook. But if I stop and think about it, it’s senseless violence. I struggle with the thought of my God ordering senseless violence.
I know that there are always more sides to the story, and we’re given limited knowledge in this particular story. There is so much going on that I could never understand. And the God I serve is complex and I will never fully understand why He does what He does.
And I also know that my God is big enough to handle my questions like, “Why did you order everyone killed? That’s so mean!!!” I can struggle through those questions and know that He still loves me, and in the end I still love Him.
Do you ever struggle with passages like this?
All the time. I’m doing. Read the bible in 40 days and I just couldn’t wrap my finite mind around all the violence, hurt, sexual violation, murder and desolation. It’s all so very bleak, but then I think of how amazing Gods grace and how Ge kept His covenant with a stiff-necked people. Then I think of my messy life. I have no answers. I only Gos is just and merciful. And I don’t really know that I’m ready to really know what things went down as they did .
Beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
No, I don’t really. But I understand why people do.
I struggle with alot of what I read. I read about abundant life and wonder where it is at. I read about redemption and forgiveness but sometimes they seem far off. I understand there is so much I do not understand. I know it will always be so. I struggle with how to react when things seem to go against what I think God would do. I do know that regardless I must trust.