Violence and Killing in the Bible

We deserve to die because of our sins. We live only because of God’s grace, which He gives and can take away.
 
How God takes life is His call. He can use humans as His instrument. For example, with sin unbridled in Jericho, God told Joshua to kill everyone there. Today God gives government, but not their citizens, authority to kill (Genesis 9:6).
 
So why is there so much killing in the Old Testament?
 
The OT and NT focus on God’s different attributes. Killings in the OT show God’s just wrath against sin. The NT focuses on God’s mercy, Christ coming to save the world (John 3:17). For example, when He cited Isaiah 61:1-2, Christ did not include its ending—the day of vengeance of our God (Luke 4:16-20).
 
Now is the time of mercy and forgiveness, the day of welcoming sinners. But one day, the window of mercy will shut. The NT closes with Revelation, depicting lots of horrific killing.
 
Violence in the Bible also reflects the world. Some of us live in a soft, easily offended, and emotionally fragile culture. But history is full of violence and cruelty.
 
Our sin caused violence and suffering. When humans betrayed God (Genesis 3), God cursed our bodies and other physical creations (Genesis 3:17-18, Romans 8:20-22). Moral decay is displayed in physical evil, such as flood, famine, pandemic, and war.
 
In addition, violence in the Bible shows the need for civil authority. “No kings in Israel” was repeated four times in Judges (18:1, 19:1, 17:6 & 21:25), the last two followed by everyone doing as they saw fit, and one followed by violence, describing humans with no restrain (19:1). Don’t romanticize the goodness of our hearts, thinking we don’t need civil authority.
 
Finally, violence shows the love of God. The atrocity of Christ’s crucifixion was actually in God’s original plan (Revelation 13:8), even praised in a heavenly song (Revelation 5:9). God saved us through Christ’s blood and the violence done to Him.
 
Summarized from three short teachings by John Piper:
What Made It Okay for God to Kill Women and Children In the Old Testament?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taYhbRm6pnU
Why was God so harsh in the Old Testament but more forgiving in the New?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prlr5qa1UsE
Why Is the Bible So Violent?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxszErfCwzo
 


圣经中的暴力和杀戮
 
人类面临死亡的现实乃是咎由自取。 今天能生存完全是上帝的恩典，祂既可以赐下，也可以收回。。
 
上帝如何收回生命是祂的决定。 祂可以使用人作为祂的工具。 例如当耶利哥的罪恶肆无忌惮时，上帝吩咐约书亚杀死其中的所有人。 今天，上帝赋予政府而不是公民杀戮的权力（创世记 9:6）。
 
既然如此，为何旧约中有那么多的杀戮？
 
旧约和新约聚焦于上帝不同的属性。 旧约中的杀戮显示公义的上帝对罪恶的忿怒。 新约着重于神的怜悯, 基督来为要拯救世人（约翰福音 3:17）， 例如基督引用以赛亚书 61:1-2 时没有包括结尾的部分——我们上帝报仇的日子（路加福音 4:16-20）。
 
现在是怜悯和赦免的时刻，是欢迎罪人的日子。 但有一天怜悯之窗会关闭， 新约以启示录结束，那里描绘了许多恐怖的杀戮。
 
圣经中的暴力也反映了世界上的暴力。 今天的一些人生活在一种软弱、容易被冒犯和情感脆弱的文化中，但真实的历史却充满了暴力和残忍。
 
人的犯罪带来了暴力和痛苦。 当人类背叛上帝时（创世记 3），上帝诅咒我们的身体和其它受造之物 (创世记 3:17-18，罗马书 8:20-22）。 道德败坏的恶果表现为洪水、饥荒、流行病和战争等灾害。
 
此外，圣经中的暴力表明需要民事权柄。 “以色列中没有王”在士师记中重复了四次（18:1、19:1、17:6 和 21:25）。最后两次紧随其后是各人任意而行, 有一次还伴随着暴力的场面（19:1），描述人类肆无忌惮的邪恶肆虐。 因此， 不要把人内心的善良浪漫化，以为不需要民事权柄。
 
最后，暴力显示了上帝的爱。 基督被钉十字架的残暴实际上是在上帝最初的计划中（启示录 13:8），甚至在天上的诗歌中得到赞美（启示录 5:9）。 上帝藉着基督的宝血和施加在祂身上的暴力来拯救世人。