Is God A God Of Love?
George Burnside
COULD GOD BE A GOD OF LOVE AND ORDER THE DESTRUCTION OF WOMEN AND
CHILDREN AS RECORDED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT?
Unbelievers have had a lot to say about the God of the Old Testament. They have claimed that He was a ruthless tyrant. Some have claimed that He was only a tribal god. Many unbelievers have given this as one of the main reasons for not serving Him. Some have gone as far as openly defying Him and challenging Him to strike them dead.
GOD IS NOT STRIKING PEOPLE NOW.
Matthew 13:24-30 Christ plainly states that both the wheat and the tares - the righteous and the ungodly - will grow together until the harvest, at the end of the world.
Matthew 13:40-43 At "the end of the world" all "them which do iniquity" will be wiped out.
OUR GOD IS "SLOW" AT DESTROYING.
Nahum 1:2,3 "The Lord is slow to anger." This is the reason why he does not strike down blasphemers today.
2 Peter 3:9 Our God is longsuffering. He gives all a chance of salvation.
THE GOD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT IS THE GOD OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.
Malachi 3:6 "I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore we need to learn from the Old Testament.
James 1:17 The God who said He would "not acquit the wicked", wrote John 3:16.
SO ALL MAY KNOW, GOD HAS LEFT US EXAMPLES.
1 Corinthians 10:11 The Old Testament was written for our "admonition".
Romans 15:4 "For our learning".
1 John 3:4 Sin is breaking God's law.
Romans 6:23 "The wages of sin is death."
Does God really mean this?
Numbers 15:29-36. This man was hardened in sin - He was lost. Was God a tyrant, for killing him so that all may know, that willful Sabbath breaking is eternal death?
This first death is not the wages of sin, but eternal death - "the second death" is the wages of sin.
Leviticus 20:10 Adultery = death.
Leviticus 24:21 Murder = death.
Joshua 1:18 Disobedience of any of God's Commandments means death. God was taking strong measures to convince all.
WHY DID THEY KILL ALL EXCEPT THE MAIDENS?
Numbers 31:14-18 The Midianites were terribly immoral. They caused 24,000 of Israel to die of "a plague".
WHY KILL THE BOYS AND SPARE THE GIRLS?
The Atheist thinks he has you cornered. He implies they were spared for immoral purposes. Remember - Adultery was death.
FIGHTING THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD IS VERY SERIOUS.
Exodus 23:33 This is the reason why thousands of women were slain.
God was trying to keep Israel from transgression. Israel had a desire to obey God. The others had no desire. They were beyond hope. It is better that 1, 000 die, who were beyond hope, than one die eternally, who could be saved if the 1,000 were killed. Matthew 16:27 "Reward every man according to his work." If a person is rejecting salvation then the sooner he dies, the shorter his time in hell-fire.
The Chief of Police in London said that when he was a young Christian he could not understand why God destroyed Sodom. When he became Chief of Police he wondered why God did not destroy London.
THE SACRIFICE OF THESE PEOPLE PROVES HIS LOVE.
The cancer in the face of a beautiful woman must be cut out. Son bitten by a snake must be kept awake. It seems cruel, but it is necessary to save his life. God with a broken heart destroys that He may save some.
Ecclesiastes 12:13,14 Why "fear" if God is a God of Love?
Electricity is a blessing. It gives light, heat etc. It is the nearest thing to life we know. But if we break it's laws it is death.
Hebrews 10:26,27 We cannot help being born in sin, but we can help continuing in it.
1 Corinthians 10:13 Our Lord makes "A way of escape".
1 Corinthians 15:25,26 The last Enemy destroyed is death.
Hebrews 2:14 It cost much. Salvation comes from the hand that was once nailed to the cross for us.
"A PLACE CALLED GOLGOTHA"