Contemplative Bible Reading

Deuteronomy 8:19-20 (New Living Translation)

¹⁹ “But I assure you of this: If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods, worshiping and bowing down to them, you will certainly be destroyed. ²⁰ Just as the LORD has destroyed other nations in your path, you also will be destroyed if you refuse to obey the LORD your God.

I am in a group study of the Bible every week. On several occasions, we have read and discussed Old Testament scriptures where the LORD told the Israelites to kill everyone: men, women, and children – even the smallest of children.

How could the LORD tell His people to kill babies?

I don’t have a good answer. Now I have a better answer, maybe not a good one, but a better one.

The destruction of entire peoples was a lesson.

It was terrible when entire peoples, even to the youngest baby, were destroyed. The word “terrible” is not strong enough. I can’t think of a word that is strong enough. The LORD’s people who were doing the destroying knew first hand how terrible it was. Imagine killing babies. You know how terrible it is.

Then the LORD tells His people,

Those terrible things that you saw and did, those things will happen to you. You know about terrible punishment. That is what awaits you if you forget me.

Maybe that is why the LORD had His people do those terrible things. So they would know what would happen to them.

Again, this is not a good answer, but, for me, it is a better answer.