Why Did God Command the Killing of Women and Children in the Old Testament?

The "Give Me An Answer" ministry began as an outgrowth of the dialogues Cliffe Knechtle has had with students on various university campuses throughout the United States. These universities include the University of Maine, Harvard, MIT, University of Florida, University of Texas, University of Wisconsin, University of Minnesota, University of California Los Angeles, University of California San Diego, Berkeley, Stanford, University of Hawaii and the University of Washington. Cliffe spoke on these campuses in front of the Student Union or Library at noon for five to ten minutes. At the close of his initial remarks, he'd open up the time for questions and answers, which usually turned into a two to four hour dialogue with students. His crowd size ranged from 25 - 500 students at a time, and between classes, new students would join the discussion. This is an extremely effective way to reach a large number of university students with the Gospel of Christ.

#Evidence #Christianity #apologetics

[syahgisi]

I am so incredibly grateful for these dudes and this video. I've always wondered how I would explain this to someone if I got asked this question.

This has helped me so much, God bless!!

[christianprince]

Numbers 31- 17-18 has been a favorite area for the critics of the Bible.  This answer is good if the person asking the question is a Christian. But if its coming from an Islamist or a deep bible critique then we have to provide a full defense

There key areas usually they poke with Numbers 31:
(1) Why does God order a complete wipe out including small male children?
(2) Why was Moses assigned to do the killing when killing was considered a sin.
(3) Regarding female virgins, the verse says "keep alive for yourselves". Was it for Sex slavery?
(4) Was God so cruel to order (1) (2)  and (3)?

There is something in verses 16, 19 and 20 that gives a very good  justification  other than just the Gods punishment.

16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a *plague*  among the congregation of the LORD.
17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.
18 But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
19 And do ye abide without the camp *seven days* : whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify both yourselves and your captives on the *third day*, and on the *seventh day*
20 And *purify* all your raiment, and all that is made of skins, and all work of goats' hair, and all things made of wood. note

In *Verse 16*,   he mentions plague as the reason.   Numbers 25:9,   also talks about plague killing  24, 000 Israelites and the source was referred to as Midianites spreading it.
Then in *Verse 17* he says hence kill all of them except the female virgins. That means all the active women and men were affected with Plague through sexual transmission.  As part of their Baal worship they used to have sexual parties and used to cut themselves in the area of Worship. Also young boys used to undergo circumcision in the same area of  Worship.   That means except female virgins others might be carrying this plague and hence decided to keep female virgins alive.

Now if you look at *Verse 19*,   he is talking about a 7 day quarantine before entering the town. That means they have to make sure that they haven't received the disease during the war.
In *Verse 20*, he is talking about sanitizing all the equipment used in the war to make sure that they won't carry the disease back to town.

So I believe *Plague*, *quarantine* and *sanitization*  are a key indicator here. And only those little female virgins were not affected with disease and hence they were saved.  So the rest of the Males, women and boys were killed to stop the spread of Plague.   So it's fair to assume that Midianites were the source and carriers of plague...  Otherwise we need to have a good explanation for why a quarantine was required and why a sanitization of the equipment was required for those who came in contact with Midianites in war.. Even the livestocks and other animals also killed because of this reason.

If wanted, God would have caused some local natural calamities like the Great flood to wipe out  Midianites, but then the young females would not have been saved. Hence Moses was tasked for the same.

Now a question can come on whether the young females were saved for Sex Slavery?  Its a pure speculation.. We cannot make our speculation a ground for strong interpretation and argument.. Instead let's look at what Bible rules talks about females caught in war, which will get applied here. Deuteronomy chapter 21 lays the rule on how you treat a female when they get captured in a war.. If they make her a sex slave then it's  a sin and against the will of God

[GraftedOliveBranch]

Another interesting and informative video. Thankyou Cliffe and Stuart. God bless you both.

[ruthagnihotri]

11:53 I feel like you just made a pretty good point.. like God gave them 400 whole years to repent!! And yet they kept on going with their sacrifices and bestiality and baby sacrifice to false gods... So even if God HAD spared the babies and women... We cannot tell for sure if those people would have turned away from their sin.. (400 years is a lot..and most probably they would not have stopped.. God definitely knew best) and thus allowing the babies and women and men to LIVE, would have been equal to hellish suffering for them on the earth.. the babies were innocent!!! And life in Heaven is DEFINITELY in the BEST interests of God's creation!!

Allowing animals to live= suffering for them by bestiality
Allowing babies to live= suffering by their parents offering them as living sacrifices through intense torture...

And men and women had to face that judgement... Because something HAD to be done to put an END to all this sin.
It's like a judge who sentences a serious criminal to a death sentence because of the utterly HEINOUS nature of his/her crimes. It is legal and just.

[wesbacon]

Thank you so much gentlemen for this video, this is something I had been seriously struggling with while reading the old testament. God Bless you

[philm]

Another uncommon but very important point is, you can see a clear distinction on the judgment to be executed against the 7 tribes in the Canaan area, all those tribes were intermingled with the giants who originated from the Gen6 affair, to the point that even animals were executed and everything to be destroyed, seed corruption, all to prevent the Messiah from coming and salvation to be possible.

[GraftedOliveBranch]

God bless the knechtle family. They do an awesome job when it comes to explaining the Bible. Praise Yeshua.

[Joshokitty]

The good in the Bible does not mean the bad in the Bible is justified.

[BingGeaux]

I had this question come up today and I made a valiant attempt to explain 'why' the action was warranted in those cases and not in the rest of history, but I soon realized I was speaking to people who [in word] say they know the word of God, but [in heart] do not believe the word of God. I also realized that they had to pick and choose which parts they agree and disagree in the Bible as a "loving" God. Their soil is not the type that yields growth.

[akeelmasih]

It proves that jehovah God is very serious about punishing all those who disobey and despise Him.

[GamesandTheoryApologetics]

That question as an apologist is easy to answer. It used to be hard. But when the Holy Spirit gives you revelation the question is even easier to answer. It’s the question I would have of the receiver’s reaction and process of the answer. As Paul Copan says in his book “Is God a moral monster” it’s hyperbolic language regarding exaggerations of the Canaanites being destroyed which later says in the verse...”and do not intermarry with them.” So they were not totally annihilated. Lol. Ahmein. As you see brother Cliff K. and Stewart; God used the Canaanites were used to judge the Jews. As we all know this. :-)

[Chablar]

2:00 So God punished the children because of other people's choices to do evil?

[sonjai]

Not because we don't understand what happened in the old testament means that God is wrong. I believe God saved those children indeed

[bryanhk]

Should have spoke about future judgement. "Judgement begins in the house of God."

[deeisrael]

For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

21Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

22For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

23And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

[jeepes]

So god can kill innocent children but cant kill satan?

[darotwiler]

There’s really no good answer. This will never make sense.

[godislove]

I AM TIRED OF PEOPLE SABOTAGING OTHERS ON HERE.

[artinthechurchmeraolive]

Also Rahab was there, and obviously survived because she’s listed in the genealogy of Christ. (Matthew 1:5)

[rethinkdaily]

I don't understand the hyperbole argument since Samuel was commanded to go finish off the lives that Solmon spared. As a Christian, I'd be interested your response.