Hard Questions
Why would God command the death of so many people in the Bible?
A1 Some examples
B1 People in Noah's day before the flood.
B2 Canaanites
B3 Amalekites
B4 Aaron's son
B5 Judah's son
B6 God's son
A2 Notes
B1 Israel and the church are different.
B2 The church is never asked or commanded to kill anyone.
B3 Israel is a nation.
B4 People are evil and break God's laws. Psalms 14:1-4, Romans 1:28-31, Romans 3:9-19, Ephesians 2:1-3, Titus 3:3.
B5 God hates some things. Proverbs 6:16-19, Proverbs 11:1, Proverbs 11:20, Proverbs 15:8-9, Proverbs 17:15, Deuteronomy 18:10-12, Deuteronomy 23:18, Deuteronomy 25:16, Psalms 11:5, etc.
B6 Everyone, every city, every country, and even the whole world crosses God's line of no return, will be punished. Ezekiel 18:20, Psalms 62:12 (all our works are evil), Matthew 16:7, Matthew 15:18-19.
B7 God warns before judgment. We are responsible to repent (a complete change of mind and life) and ask for forgiveness. 2 Chronicles 36:15, Hebrews 12:25, Jeremiah 18:8-10, Matthew 21:28-32
B8 God brings judgment and carries out the sentence. Zephaniah 1:1-18, 1 Thessalonians 4:6, 2 Thessalonians 1:8
A3 Some examples with answers
B1 People in Noah's day before the flood.
C1 Became very wicked. Genesis 6:5-6
C2 God warned them through Noah's preaching for over 100 years. 2 Peter 2:5, Hebrews 11:17, 1 Peter 1:20
C3 The babies and young children that died, died because of the bad decision of their parents. Jeremiah 9:14, 1 Peter 1:18, Ezekiel 20:18, Amos 2:4, Mark 6:24
B2 Canaanites
C1 Worshiped idols Deuteronomy 29:17, Psalms 106:34-38
C2 Practiced many wicked things Deuteronomy 18:9-11
C3 Sodom and Gomorrah Genesis 18:20, 2 Peter 2:6
B3 Amalekites
C1 Descendants of Esau Genesis 36:12
C2 Even though they were related to Israel (Jacob), they hated Israel and killed and maimed many. Exodus 17:8-16, Deuteronomy 25:17-19
C3 The Amalekites continued to fight Israel and cause loses. Judges 6:3
C4 Because of this continued fighting to destroy Israel, God passed judgment that the Amalekites should be completely destroyed. They had crossed that line by doing evil. Deuteronomy 25:17-19
C5 King Saul was given this responsibility but failed. 1 Samuel 15:1-33
C6 Not every Amalekite was punished. Some stilled lived, carried out raids against Israel (1 Samuel 30:1-20), and eventually married into other groups (1 Chronicles 4:41-43).
B4 Aaron's son
C1 Aaron had 4 sons--Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar
C2 The 2 oldest, Nadab and Abihu, sinned by going before God's altar with wrong motives, wrong technique, and wrong (unauthorized) fire. Leviticus 10:1-2
C3 This is explained by Ellicott in his commentary on that passage--
And Nadab and Abihu.—Immediately after the Divine manifestation of God's acceptance of the services connected with the institution of the priesthood, and whilst the congregation are still giving utterance to their profound expressions of thankfulness and joy, the assembled people see a most daring act of sacrilege committed by two of the five newly-installed priests, and have to witness the most awful punishment which befals the offenders. The offenders are the two eldest sons of Aaron, who had received the high distinction to be invited to accompany their father and Moses to the summit of the hallowed mount (Exo. 24:1); the lesson to the Israelites being that the priests, though mediators between God and the people, are beset with the same infirmities as the laity, and must not presume upon their office.
Took either of them his censer.—The sin of Nadab and Abihu was of a complicated nature, and involved and consisted of several transgressions:—(1) They each took his own censer, and not the sacred utensil of the sanctuary. (2) They both offered it together, whereas the incense was only to be offered by one. (3) They presumptuously encroached upon the functions of the high priest; for according to the Law the high priest alone burnt incense in a censer. (Sec Lev. 16:12-13; Num. 17:11.) The ordinary priests only burnt it on the golden altar in the holy place (Exo. 30:7-8), or on the brazen altar as a part of the memorial. (See Lev. 2:2-3; Lev. 2:16, &c.) The case of Korah and his company was an exception, since it was ordered by Moses for an especial purpose (Num. 16:6-25). (4) They offered the incense at an unauthorised time, since it was apart from the morning and evening sacrifice.
And offered strange fire.—They filled their vessels with common fire instead of taking it from the holy fire of the altar, which was always to be used in burning incense. (See Lev. 9:24; Lev. 16:12.) It is with reference to this practice that we are told—"And the angel took the censer and filled it with fire off the altar" (Rev. 8:5). Ancient tradition says that Nadab and Abihu had partaken too freely of the drink offering, and performed their service in a state of intoxication, when they were incapacitated to distinguish between what was legal and illegal. So general was this tradition that it is actually embodied in the Palestinian Chaldee Version of Lev. 10:9, which contains the solemn warning against wine to those engaged in the service of the sanctuary, and which is regarded as a sequel to this awful catastrophe. Others, however, suppose that the phrase "strange fire" denotes not offered according to the prescribed law, just as "strange incense" is used in the sense of incense not prepared in the manner ordered by the Law (Exo. 30:9).
Before the Lord.—This may mean before the door of the sanctuary (see Lev. 1:5), or in front of the holy of holies. (See Lev. 4:6.) As the dead bodies are said in Lev. 10:4 to have lain in the court of the tabernacle, the former must be the meaning in the passage before us.
Which he commanded them not.—According to a figure of speech frequently used in Hebrew, where the negative form is used for the emphatic affirmative, this phrase is better rendered, "which he had strongly forbidden them." Though the command is only expressed in Lev. 16:12, there can hardly be any doubt that it was previously given by Moses, since it is implied in Lev. 1:7; Lev. 6:12. A similar reference to a well known statement, though not here recorded, we have in the following verse.
B5 Judah's son
C1 Er was wicked and God killed him (Genesis 38:6-7). While we don't know the exact issues, Er and God did know.
C2 Onan was also wicked and was killed (Genesis 38:8-10)
C3 This is known as the Levirate Law.
D1 If a married man dies, then his nearest male relative takes her as his own.
D2 The male child born from that relationship takes the name and inheritance of the married man that died.
D3 See Ruth 4:1-17
B6 God's son
C1 Was sinless Hebrews 4:5, Isaiah 53:9, John 8:46, 1 Peter 2:22
C2 Came to suffer for our sins. This is termed imputation.
D1 I am a sinner. I deserve to die and go to hell for eternity. Jesus volunteered, out of love, to die for my sins. My sins in this sense became His sins. He died. He rose again, because He had not sinned. The debt, punishment, was paid in full. It can now be applied to me for forgiveness, if I meet God's conditions. See NeedGod. 2 Corinthians 5:21, Isaiah 53:4-6
D2 Doctrine
E1 Defined--"to place on one's account," thus it is an accounting/business term. The charge for goods is place not on one's own account but on the account of another.
E2 Concepts
F1 Adam's sin was imputed, charged, to all of humanity. We all have the desire to seek our own way and sin. Romans 5:12, Romans 5:19, 1 Corinthians 15:21
F2 Humanity's sin was imputed, charged, to Jesus Christ. John 19:17, Hebrews 10:5-12, Titus 2:14, 1 Peter 3:18
F3 Jesus's righteousness, sinlessness, is imputed, credited, to those who believe and place their faith in Him. Colossians 2:14
C3 Came to destroy works of devil 1 John 3:8, Colossians 2:15, Hebrews 2:14
C4 Suffered the wrath of God and man Matthew 27:32-44, Isaiah 53:4-6
