Expert: Ernie Laurence, Jr. - 8/25/2008

Question
QUESTION: An Atheist asked me if your God Jesus is love and love us then why He command Saul to killed every one including women and infant of Amalek ?

1 Samuel Chapter 15
15:2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.

15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.


ANSWER: Hey Nick.

This is a common question, especially from Atheists.  What it boils down to is whether or not God has the authority to punish man and/or to take the life He created in the first place.

The answer to both of these is yes.  As God is Creator, He has the right to end the life He began.  As God is infinite in love and justice, there will always be a loving, just reason for every life taken.

In the instance of the adults, the Amalekites were a wicked nation who worked against God's promises and His will.  They would only continue in that wickedness left to themselves.  It is God's divine right to punish the wicked.

In the instance of the adults, the finite pain and suffering they endured at death is literally nothing compared to the infinite joys of heaven where each and every one of them will eventually go.  Those too young to be accountable for their actions cannot sin and do not have sin accounted to them.  They go to Paradise at death and then Heaven at the end of time.  By destroying their bodies, God did not allow them to grow up in a wicked environment to most likely become evil themselves.  In essence, God saved those children from eternal damnation.  (I get the same question about infants in the Flood alot, too.)

As for the animals.  They don't have souls.  They are here for man's benefit and nothing else.  Whether animals live or die is irrelevant when it comes to spiritual things.

Additionaly, the Amalekites would have corrupted Israel with idolatry had they been allowed to remain.  God saw to it that Israel was free from that influence through His command.

So in the destruction of the Amalekites, we see God's infinite justice (death of the wicked adults), infinite love (not leaving the infants to grow up and become wicked, in essence giving them heaven), and right as Creator (destroying any part of His Creation He wished to).

If I need to clarify anything in my answer, please ask.

In Truth and Love,

Ernie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for answer

But this will not satisfied Humanist and Atheist.

Why didn't Lord Jesus just showed some miracles and cast demon out from them so they may become righteous and born again.
Atleast Lord command them to adopt infant and raise them as Jesus lover instead of killing them .

Answer
You are right in one sense.  My answer will not satisfy the Humanist/Atheist.  But nothing will unless they actually want to be satisfied.  For those who are merely looking for reasons God cannot be, they will never accept an answer, no matter how rational...because they don't want to.  They cannot actually present reasoned arguments against God that hold up, but they will deny to make their own selfishness feel good to them.  You cannot feel bad that not everyone wants to respond to the gospel.  God calls all through the gospel, but not all...not even a majority will be saved (Matt. 7:13-14).

I, as a finite mind, cannot even begin to second-guess God.  It is arrogance to even think one could.  Remember, the folks who lived in Jesus' day saw miracle after miracle.  Demons were cast out, people were raised from the dead, lame walked, blind saw, etc.  Still, for the most part, the Jewish nation and a large portion of the Gentiles refused to believe in spite of these miracles.  But it is not miracles that convince people to follow God.  They only show that the authority of the speaker comes from God.  The WORD of God is what saves men souls (Romans 1:16; Eph. 5:26; James 1:21).  If they will not believe God's Word, then no amount of miracles would save them.

One other point to make.  Jesus, by that name, had not been born yet.  God the Son was called by other names in the Old Testament times when the destruction of the Amalekites took place.  The Old Testament was a time of looking forward to the coming of the Messiah as promised.

As a final point, since miracles do not take place today, it is ONLY by the Word of God that an Atheist could be convinced anyway.  Either they accept or reject.  We cannot force them to believe.  But they can never give reasoned defense to the proposition that God does not exist, nor successful argument to one who is prepared, who is armed with the scriptures.

In Truth and Love,

Ernie