I'm not at all surprised by this response. I expected one to justify the biblical stories in his/her own way.
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You don't need the Bible to assess this story. Try some of the historical accounts in other books of the time.
...And yes, Israel was unstoppable when it came to murdering the innocent under orders by God. If one would just step away from the tree in order to see the forest, if one could do that for a second, they'd see that the atrocities mentioned in the OT would be unconsciounable today.
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You are 100% correct. Just look at the miraculous survival of both Moses (from the Egyptians) and Jesus (from Herod, the Israelite) in the killing of young children. Similar things continue in recent history in Bosnia, China, and several countries in Africa, just to name a few. It was a horrific tactic of pure slaughter ... but it was a rather common practice. The reality is that these orders in the Bible were not done today but thousands of years ago. There was great purpose in those tactics and that purpose is clear when you step back to see the forest. Its not like the Midianites, Jebusites, and
[fill-in-the-blank]ites were not doing the same things in their conquests. This is the concept of jihad in action.
When I read the gospels I hear Jesus' disciples wanting to know when they were going to take out the Roman occupation in the same way. Jesus tell them that His is a Kingdom that they don't yet understand. We never read of Him advocating revolt. Instead, we read things from the apostles like:
Titus 3:1-2
3:1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates , to be ready to every good work,
2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
and
Rom 13:1-7
13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers . For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. 6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
So...what changed between the OT and NT? Answer: Israel's purpose.
...Question....Would you, in this day and age, take part in the killing of unborn children, the taking of female slaves if someone told you that it was commanded by the OT God to do so? Yes or no.
First of all, no I would not take part in those kinds of orders. That is one reason that I did not follow the military path of most of both my grandfathers, ALL of my uncles, ALL of my male cousins, BOTH of my parents, and my sister. I did not want to be put in that position because of what I know about God's purpose in warfare. Mind you, my sister was the only one of those persons in my family who was not drafted in WWI, WWII, Korea, or Vietnam. They did not have the option of saying no without consequences.
Secondly, I find it interesting that you refer to "the OT God" as if He is different in the NT. Why is that?
Third, rest assured that I do not agree with God on everything...and I tell Him so. I have openly and regularly confessed that to our congregation. However, since I know that He is right, our arguments get shorter each time.