Be Prepared: Why did God destroy entire nations?

Let's be prepared to answer a most difficult question (1 Peter 3:15) : 

Why did God destroy complete nations in the Old Testament—even innocent children?

We must first admit that our finite human minds cannot fully comprehend the actions of our infinite God. Some things we must accept without fully understanding all the details and explanations (see Isaiah 55:9; Hebrews 11:1; 1 Corinthians 13:12).  

But we can fully trust God's character: 

1. God knows the intentions of every heart. When He destroyed entire cities, He individually judged the heart of each person in those cities (Jeremiah 17:10; Matthew 16:27). 

2. No one is "innocent" (Romans 3:23), but Scripture certainly leads us to believe that there's an age of accountability before which all children go to heaven. See Why Babies Go to Heaven.

3. God always, always, always gives men time to repent (Genesis 15:16; 2 Peter 3:9; Revelation 2:21). He grieves when men fail to repent (Genesis 6:1-6). Everyone in destroyed cities had a chance to accept or reject the Lord. God never turns away genuine seekers (Jeremiah 29:13). Remember Rahab.

4. Justice is an essential element of love, but God's justice is not like the justice in human courts. He judges perfectly (Jeremiah 9:23-24). 

5. Physical death is not as serious as spiritual death (Matthew 10:28). If there were believers in those cities, they will spend eternity with Christ.

6. Our faith gives us confidence in God's goodness and love even when we can't fully understand the circumstances (Hebrews 11:6; 1 John 1:5). 

Our all-knowing God can destroy an entire nation without treating a single soul unfairly. We can have confidence in that truth.
 

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I encourage you to read the five-part series about the life of Rahab.

To see all fourteen questions in this series, check out the Be Prepared Archive.

It's important to understand these questions so we can answer non-Christians and seekers. 

Actually, it's important that we have a good understanding of God's Word in general.

If you'd like to better understand the purposes of Psalms and Proverbs, I encourage you to check out Wisdom for Life. It's a hardcover devotional priced lower than most paperbacks, and it's filled with one-minute devotions that instruct and inspire!

Bible Love Notes