While many difficulties and objections regarding God’s character arise from looking at the world around us, some are directed toward the revelation of God within the scriptures. God’s acts of judgment in the Old Testament are often pictured as cruel, excessive, and indiscriminate.
Hollywood in recent years has made God out to be a power-hungry tyrant in their depiction of the flood and the ten plagues upon Egypt. The world sees the slaughter of the firstborn and accuses God of infanticide. They see the conquering of the Canaanites and accuse Him of genocide. Any God who demands that someone sacrifice their son on an altar (Abraham and Isaac) is seen as heartless, unreasonable, and unworthy of devotion.
How does the Christian come to terms with these objections? Does man really have a more refined sense of morality and justice than God does? Or are we missing the bigger picture? There are 3 factors I believe will help us view God’s acts of judgment in the correct light.
Longsuffering—God is never reckless in His judgment. His wrath is not a quick outburst or a fit of rage. He does not find pleasure in the death of the wicked, but patiently and passionately urges them to repent and live (Ezek 18:32; cf. 2 Pet 3:9). He gives man ample warning and numerous opportunities to turn back to Him.
Why did Egypt receive 10 plagues and not just 1 or 2? Not because God was sadistic, but because man was stubborn. The world in the days of Noah were not simply taken by surprise in the waters of the flood. Noah, as a “preacher of righteousness” had been warning them and calling them to repentance for years (2 Pet 2:5). The Canaanites were not just exterminated so God’s people could overtake their land. God had delayed their judgment for centuries because their iniquity was “not yet full” or ripe for punishment (Gen 15:16).
Justice—God is not excessive or indiscriminate about His judgment. His perfect omniscience and righteousness make Him the only one qualified to determine when and to what extent punishment is deserved.
When preparing judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham asked God, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” (Gen 18:23). God’s answer was clearly “no.” He granted that He would not destroy the cities if even 10 righteous individuals could be found there (Gen 18:32). And when only a small family of 4 could be found, what did He do? He took the care to personally deliver them from the destruction of these corrupt cities, even after they hesitated to leave (Gen 19:15-16).
God never obliviously trampled over innocent bystanders. He was always precise in His judgment and generous in His mercy. As Peter stated after citing the examples of Sodom and Gomorrah and the flood, “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment” (2 Pet 2:9).
Eternity—But what about all the little children swept away in these great acts of judgment. Were they not innocent bystanders? Why did God allow them to suffer this punishment? Why did God not deliver them? The answer is, “He did.”
We must see the death of these children on the backdrop of eternity. There are things much worse than physical death. Even Job who had no concept of life after death would have loved to trade places with one of these children (Job 3:11-13). How much more should we be able to see the mercy of their fate, when we consider the rest these innocent souls are experiencing and the resurrection they will one day take part in?
Would God have been more merciful to spare their lives? …to allow them to grow up in a society of abuse, violence, and all manner of immorality? …or to leave them orphans in the midst of the slaughter? No, God knows how to rescue the innocent, and that’s exactly what He did.
God is truly longsuffering, just, and merciful. No act of God has ever demonstrated otherwise. And though we may at times have difficulty comprehending His ways, we can be sure that eternity will open our eyes to see His character like we’ve never seen it before.
“Farther along we’ll know more about it. Farther along we’ll understand why. Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine. We’ll understand it all by and by” (W. B. Stevens).