God is cruel

Why did God allow war in the old testament?

Joshua 8
18 Hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in you hand, for into your hand I will deliver the city.
25 twelve thousand men and women fell that day--all the people of Ai
28-34 He left no survivors.

From out twenty-first century prospective, God is cruel when instructions were given to Joshua to leave no survivor in the city of Jericho, of Makkedah, of Libnah, of Lachish, of Eglon, and of Hebron. (Joshua 8) God is cruel when He hardened the people's hearts against Israel, so that he might destroy them them totally. (Joshua 11:20) Why is God so cruel?

As much as we like to think God is all love, He is also the God of justice and righteousness.
The principle of God--it's black and white, but people like to emphasize human rights nowadays and in turns tolerate sins in the grey zone.

I believe God has a standard. In fact, if He doesn't, He is probably not fit to be my God.
But He does.

That is not to say God loves war over people.

"Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and lives?" (Ezekiel 18:23)
"If a wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die." (Ezekiel 18:21)
"I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!" (Ezekiel 18:32)

Know this!
God loves life,  not death!
He takes no pleasant in the act that must be done to keep morality sane.

Tolerance is an overly-used word in the twenty-first century.
He loves, but He cannot tolerate evil.
It is contradicting to His nature.

"We often forgot that when evil spreads, the innocent as well as the guilty are hurt." (Biblica)
War is necessary for peace.
What a paradox? Yet, it is understood that when the nuclear bomb hit the city of Hiroshima, WWII was over.

reference: www.biblica.com


To be continue:
14 The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord.
18 "We have given them out oath by the Lord, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now."

6 Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us.
11 ...more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites