What Does the Bible Say About Why Did God Tell The Istralites To Kill All Men Women And Chidren Of Their Enemies?
Scripture reveals that God, as judge of all the earth, executed judgment against nations engaged in grievous sin and idolatry through Israel as His instrument, and this judgment was real, total, and according to His justice.
Scripture on Why Did God Tell The Istralites To Kill All Men Women And Chidren Of Their Enemies
Deuteronomy 20:16-18
Old Testament
"However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you. Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the Lord your God."
Joshua 6:21
Old Testament
"They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys."
1 Samuel 15:2-3
Old Testament
"This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.'"
Romans 3:25-26
New Testament
"God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus."
Psalm 94:1-2
Old Testament
"The Lord is a God who avenges. O God who avenges, shine forth. Rise up, Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve."
The Bottom Line
God is the Lord of life and death, absolutely sovereign, and He employed Israel to carry out his righteous judgment against nations whose sin had reached the point of no return—a reality that demands we trust His character even when we cannot fully comprehend His ways.
Try Today
Read through Deuteronomy 20:16-18 slowly and sit with one hard question: What does it tell me about God's seriousness regarding idolatry and moral corruption? Don't rush past the difficulty—let it push you toward God's holiness.
Prayer
Jesus taught us to pray by first acknowledging God's righteous rule: 'Your kingdom come, your will be done' (Matthew 6:10).
Father, I confess that Your justice is not always comfortable for me. The complete destruction of nations by Your command unsettles me, and I want to be honest about that rather than explain it away. I believe You are good, but I don't yet understand how all Your acts fit together into the full picture of Your character. Help me trust that You see what I cannot see, that Your judgments are true and right, and that the cross of Jesus shows me the depths of Your mercy even toward those who deserve judgment. Give me faith to submit to Your wisdom rather than demand that You justify Himself to my limited understanding. In Jesus' name, Amen.
📚 Read Deuteronomy 7 to see the fuller context of God's instructions to Israel, then turn to Romans 9:14-24 to understand how Paul addresses God's sovereign judgment and mercy in light of the new covenant.
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