Question: Killing Nations

• Numbers 25:1 (ESV)
• Numbers 25:2 (ESV)
• Numbers 25:3 (ESV)
• Numbers 25:4 (ESV)
• Numbers 25:5 (ESV)
• Numbers 25:6 (ESV)
• Numbers 25:7 (ESV)
• Numbers 25:8 (ESV)
• Numbers 25:9 (ESV)
• Numbers 25:10 (ESV)
• Numbers 25:11 (ESV)
• Numbers 25:12 (ESV)
• Numbers 25:13 (ESV)
• Numbers 25:14 (ESV)
• Numbers 25:15 (ESV)
• Numbers 25:16 (ESV)
• Numbers 25:17 (ESV)
• Numbers 25:18 (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 2:26 (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 2:27 (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 2:28 (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 2:29 (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 2:30 (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 2:31 (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 2:32 (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 2:33 (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 2:34 (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 2:35 (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 2:36 (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 2:37 (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 3:1 (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 3:2 (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 3:3 (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 3:4 (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 3:5 (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 3:6 (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 3:7 (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 3:8 (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 3:9 (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 3:10 (ESV)
• Deuteronomy 3:11 (ESV)

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Sometimes I am troubled by the commands God issued in the Old Testament regarding international relations. Often, it seems like he is very interested in killing nations rather than converting them. Sometimes people try to explain this by saying that those nations had terrible idolatrous practices, and maybe they were even barbarous. Perhaps these were societies saturated with child sacrifice and gang rape. But was that always true? And did it necessitate genocide, murder, and war? I don't know.

I wish I could offer an answer that made total sense, but I can't. I created this note more as a reminder to myself of my own troubles than as an attempt to answer a good question. What do you think?

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