WHY DID GOD APPROVE OF SO MUCH

VIOLENCE IN THE BIBLE?

During Old Testament Centuries, mankind was quite barbaric. God never runs very far ahead of mankind so we will understand Him.

And during this period, God often punished people during their lifetime.

But by the time Jesus came, Jesus said “turn the other cheek.”

Now God usually waits on our punishment until eternity.

THE KILLING WAS PUNISHMENT

GENESIS 15:13-16 (PG. 13) - God did not randomly select a country and tell the Jews they could have it. When God first promised Canaan to Abraham's descendants, he would not let him have it yet. "Your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own [Egypt], and they will be ____________________________ and mistreated ______ years.

"But I will _________________ the nation they serve as slaves, and afterwards they will come out with great _______________________________."

"In the fourth generation [people lived to be about 100 years old then], your descendants will come back _________, for the _____________ of the ___________________________ has not yet reached its ______________ measure."

LEVITICUS 18:24-28 (PG. 115) - God explained to Moses, after giving the commandments on sexual sins, says, "Do not ___________________________ yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the _____________________ I am going to _____________________________ before you became defiled. Even the land was defiled; so I _________________ it for its _______________, and the land _________________________ out its inhabitants....All these things were done by the people who lived in the land ____________ you, and the land became defiled. And if you defile the land, it will vomit ___________________ out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.

DEUTERONOMY 9:5-6 (PG. 180) - God did not give the Jews the land of Canaan because they were so good, but because the people before them were so bad. "It is not because of your [Jews'] __________________________________ or your __________________ that you are going in to take possession of ____________________ land; but on account of the ____________________________ of these _________________________, the Lord your God will drive them ___________ before you....for you are a ________________ people.

JOSHUA 24:11-14 (PG. 230) just before Joshua died, he recalled to the people how they got their Promised Land from the A_______________,

P______________________, C___________________________, H________________________, G______________________, H________________________, and J____________________________....You did not do it with your own sword and bow. So I gave you a land on which you did ________________ toil and cities you did _____________ build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did __________ plant. Now fear the Lord and serve him with ______ faithfulness. Throw away the _____________...and serve the _________________.

LOVE SOMETIMES MUST RESORT TO PUNISHMENT

ROMANS 11:22 (PG. 1100) - "Consider therefore the ____________________________ and _______________________ of ___________: Sternness to those who _________________, but kindness to you, ___________________ that you continue in his ___________________. Otherwise, you also will be ______________________________.

PROVERBS 3:11-12 (PG. 618) - "Do not _________________ the Lord's _____________________ and do not _________________ his _________________________, because the Lord disciplines those he _________________, as a father the son he delights in.

2 PETER 3:9 (PG. 1182) says, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his __________________....He is patient with you, _________ wanting anyone to __________________, but everyone to come to _____________________.

GOD SEES THINGS FROM HIS SIDE OF ETERNITY

Remember when God told Moses he had to die because he struck the rock for water instead of speaking to it? But we know he went to heaven because he appeared centuries later to Jesus (Matthew 17:3, pg. 951). Sometimes God needs to take evil influences out of the way of a new group of people, hoping they will do better.

Undoubtedly good people as well as bad died when Canaan was conquered. But, if they went to heaven, they were much happier then anyway. We must not think of the death of good people as punishment. It is a door to excitement.