Sometimes we ask hard questions about what God is doing. We ask why suffering happens, why do children die, why was there so much violence and slaughter at the hand of God’s people in the old testament. I have come to realize that we may never completely understand this infinite God as we are finite creatures who are limited. Maybe after this life, we will know and completely understand, but God does give understanding in His perfect timing. Maybe its when we are ready, maybe its when we are more mature in Christ, but the part I know for sure is that only God knows when the perfect timing is.

When dealing with hard questions, I try to remember the truth. The truth that God is good, and He wants the best for us. He loves us without condition, and most importantly, regardless of how things appear in this world, I can trust Him. I can surely trust Him! He knows each person on this earth, He knows our hearts, He knows our situations, He knows our past, He knows all, and we know that He sees the whole picture, while we see only a piece. What God does fits perfectly into the big picture, but many times we cannot understand it . So, I am reminded of this and I choose to trust Him.  

I am currently reading Deuteronomy, and I wanted to share a small piece that helped me understand one of these hard questions.

Context: This is just before the people of Israel enters into the promised land, and Moses is reminding them of God’s message.  

Deuteronomy 7:1-2

“When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than you, and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction.

Moses is telling the Israelites that God will give them victory over these seven nations who are larger and mightier than them. This is such a significant point. This shows that this victory is from God. Logically if the Israelites were less in number and not as mighty, how could they win? How could they win seven times? They will be going into war with these nations and will have to destroy them. Completely destroy so many people. But why?

Deuteronomy 7:3-5

You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly. But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire.

God does not want them to have mercy on these nations but to wipe them out. He says they are not to make any covenants with them, and they are not to intermarry with them. And God is so considerate of his people that He even gives them the reason why. He says that they will turn the Israelites away from serving Him. God knows that if the Israelites have mercy upon them and form relationships with them, the Israelites will turn from following God. Anything that can turn us away from God is the most horrific thing and anything that we can do to remove such obstacles must be done. Moses reminds them that if they do these things and turn away from God, God will destroy them. He tells them that they must break down their altars, pillars, idols and carved images. All these things are the signs of these people serving false gods and perhaps can become a distraction.

The Israelites are now discovering who God is. God is still revealing himself to them. He uses signs and wonders to reveal that He is the only true and living God. Imagine how much more we know of God and how much more we have seen God do and yet still we get distracted and fall away from Him. Imagine a people who is just getting to discover this God. Imagine how much easier it can be to get distracted and confused. So, God is clearing a path to deliver them into the promised land. He is removing all distractions so that they can follow Him without straying. He is giving them all the formulas and answers to be able to do this right.

Moses emphasizes that they should consume all the people and that they should not pity them and warns them that they should not serve other gods. We see much repetition here. But repetition is important.

There is much repetition in the Bible, but I have realized that repetition is a significant thing. Sometimes when we see repetition, we tend to get weary of it and think … we get the message! But often, this is not true, and we need repetition, we need to be repeatedly told what we must do. We need to read the Bible repeatedly and allow the repetition to penetrate our minds and transform it.

In Deuteronomy, there are numerous times when Moses repeats all that has gone before and tells the people again what they should and should not do. But we know the whole story, and we know that even though they heard it so many times, they needed it. Our minds are so fleeting; we hear it now, and shortly after we are doing the same thing we were told not to do.

So, we may look at this and think why did God tell them to wipe out all these people. But God knew that even the smallest remnant of these false gods would influence the Israelites to turn away from Him. And He wants good for them and is trying to save them from wickedness and destruction.

When we see God doing strange things in the Bible, that does not make sense to us; we have to trust that we know that He is good, and He wants the very best for all of us. So, trust Him and continue to spend time with Him in His word and in prayer, and as we mature, more answers will be revealed.  

I look forward to learning so much more about God with you.

All photos were taken by Kyle or Vani. These photos are from the many adventures we have been blessed to experience together. We are so grateful for every blessing from God. No filters were used nor were the photos edited except for an occasional crop. We hope you enjoy.