The God of the Old Testament is cruel and violent.
The Devotional Answer
The devotional truth is that the God of the Old Testament (OT) is the exact same God of the New Testament (NT)—He is "the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). The difference is not in His character, but in the dispensation of His grace and judgment. The OT reveals God's absolute holiness (Question 43) and His necessary justice against profound human sin, while the NT focuses on the outpouring of His ultimate mercy through the cross.
When you see a passage that seems "cruel," you are seeing God’s pure and righteous response to wickedness that is far more grievous than we realize. A truly holy God must hate and judge sin. However, even in the midst of judgment, the OT is saturated with expressions of incredible patience, forgiveness, and covenantal love, proving that mercy always accompanies His wrath.
The Simple Answer
The God of the OT is not cruel; He is perfectly just, and the stories of violence are demonstrations of that justice against pervasive evil.
The accusation of cruelty fails to recognize two key biblical truths:
God's Holiness Requires Justice: Because God is holy and good, He cannot allow rebellion, wickedness, and oppression to continue indefinitely. Justice is an aspect of His moral perfection.
The Context is Judgment: Most severe acts are divine judgment against cultures or peoples (like the Canaanites or the pre-Flood world) that had sunk into absolute moral depravity (including child sacrifice, systemic sexual abuse, and intense violence), which God delayed judging for centuries.
The true definition of God is found not only in His power but in His self-declaration: "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" (Exodus 34:6, ESV).
The Deeper Dive
Understanding the context of judgment in the OT allows us to see the unity of God’s character across both testaments.
1. The Principle of Mercy in Judgment
In every major act of judgment (the Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, or the conquest of Canaan), God's actions were always preceded by warnings, long delays, and opportunities for repentance.
The Flood: God waited 120 years before the flood, giving humanity ample time to repent (Genesis 6:3).
The Canaanites: God waited over 400 years for the sin of the Amorites (part of the Canaanite people) to "reach its full measure" before calling Israel to execute judgment (Genesis 15:16). The judgment was delayed until the wickedness was absolute.
2. The Unity of the Trinity
Jesus Christ, the gentle Savior of the NT, is the same divine figure who acted in the OT. The NT speaks just as sternly about God's final, absolute wrath against sin (e.g., Revelation 19-20). The only reason God’s judgment is less apparent in the NT is because the cross of Jesus Christ absorbed God’s wrath for those who believe.
"For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." — 1 Thessalonians 5:9 (NIV)
The cross is the ultimate demonstration that God is willing to do whatever it takes—even suffer separation from His Son—to satisfy His justice without sacrificing His mercy.
3. Defining "Cruelty"
Cruelty is defined as pleasure in inflicting suffering. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11). His judgments are always reluctantly applied acts of righteous justice necessary to protect the moral order of the universe and His promises to His people.
God’s Assurance
God assures you that His love is not a soft sentimentality but a powerful force that works perfectly with His justice.
"For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed." — Malachi 3:6 (NKJV)
You are assured that because God does not change, the vast mercy and love demonstrated by Jesus Christ in the NT is the very same love that was available to people in the OT.
Your Takeaway Thought
When you read a difficult passage in the Old Testament, frame it within the context of holiness and justice. See God as the patient, righteous Judge who waits hundreds of years before executing judgment. Then, turn your eyes to the cross: the greatest display of divine justice and mercy, where God's Son suffered the full punishment, so you don't have to.
