How do Christians deal with the violence in the Bible?

From the Commentary by Matthew Henry:The pious Jews in Babylon, having afflicted themselves with the thoughts of the ruins of Jerusalem, here please themselves with the prospect of the ruin of her impenitent implacable enemies; but this not from a spirit of revenge, but from a holy zeal for the glory of God and the honour of his kingdom.I. The Edomites will certainly be reckoned with, and all others that were accessaries to the destruction of Jerusalem, that were aiding and abetting, that helped forward the affliction (Zec. 1:15) and triumphed in it, that said, in the day of Jerusalem, the day of her judgment, "Rase it, rase it to the foundations; down with it, down with it; do not leave one stone upon another.’’ Thus they made the Chaldean army more furious, who were already so enraged that they needed no spur. Thus they put shame upon Israel, who would be looked upon as a people worthy to be cut off when their next neighbours had such an ill-will to them. And all this was a fruit of the old enmity of Esau against Jacob, because he got the birthright and the blessing, and a branch of that more ancient enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent: Lord, remember them, says the psalmist, which is an appeal to his justice against them. Far be it from us to avenge ourselves, if ever it should be in our power, but we will leave it to him who has said, Vengeance is mine. Note, Those that are glad at calamities, especially the calamities of Jerusalem, shall not go unpunished. Those that are confederate with the persecutors of good people, and stir them up, and set them on, and are pleased with what they do, shall certainly be called to an account for it against another day, and God will remember it against them.II. Babylon is the principal, and it will come to her turn too to drink of the cup of tremblings, the very dregs of it (v. 8, 9): O daughter of Babylon! proud and secure as thou art, we know well, by the scriptures of truth, thou art to be destroyed, or (as Dr. Hammond reads it) who art the destroyer. The destroyers shall be destroyed, Rev. 13:10. And perhaps it is with reference to this that the man of sin, the head of the New-Testament Babylon, is called a son of perdition, 2 Th. 2:3. The destruction of Babylon being foreseen as a sure destruction (thou art to be destroyed), it is spoken of, 1. As a just destruction. She shall be paid in her own coin: "Thou shalt be served as thou hast served us, as barbarously used by the destroyers as we have been by thee,’’ See Rev. 18:6. Let not those expect to find mercy who, when they had power, did not show mercy. 2. As an utter destruction. The very little ones of Babylon, when it is taken by storm, and all in it are put to the sword, shall be dashed to pieces by the enraged and merciless conqueror. None escape if these little ones perish. Those are the seed of another generation; so that, if they be cut off, the ruin will be not only total, as Jerusalem’s was, but final. It is sunk like a millstone into the sea, never to rise.

In mathematics, we would call this an axiom. An axiom is one of the initial assumptions that cannot be proven; it can only be assumed because it is self-evident. However, the exact opposite assumption can also be assumed if it is "self-evident", giving rise to another, different logically consistent system. In other words, you may have to make this assumption in order to get your arguments to start, but if someone else doesn't accept your assumption then your argument is not going to be convincing.

Faith writes:It's a cry to God to avenge them against their enemies, the Babylonians, for justice against those who had dealt with them unmercifully. A case of a call for "what goes around comes around" to put it most simplistically.

It's a cry to God to avenge them against their enemies, the Babylonians, for justice against those who had dealt with them unmercifully. A case of a call for "what goes around comes around" to put it most simplistically.

The big difference in any conflict where we are called on to kill others is the motivation. If it is for revenge I suggest that it is wrong. If it is to protect the freedoms of ourselves and others it may well be justified.

They were calling on GOD to avenge them and avenge His own honor.

Nevertheless under Christ we don't pray for God's vengeance any more, but that God will have mercy and save our enemies.

The cries for vengeance in the psalms are unsettling to most Christians, and we don't pray those psalms as the spirit of Christ calls for salvation, not condemnation.

137:8 O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.137:9 Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.

Nevertheless under Christ we don't pray for God's vengeance any more, but that God will have mercy and save our enemies.

I think the second description is the true God of the Bible, and that the first is the result of people blaming everything that happens on His direct intervention.

As an aside, I find it incredibly odd that evangelists in general are anti-abortion, because abortion kills babies...While in the Bible God tells people to kill their children (after they are born) for the slightest provocation. Unruly and disrespectful? Stone him.

It's saying that those who do this dirty work will be blessed in doing it for God

However, I can't help but remark on this self-righteousness being expressed by all of you here. Matthew Henry's commentary says that the idea of the infants being dashed on the stones is a way of asking for the total annihilation of Babylon, leaving no one alive.

But just sticking to the literal image, if you had suffered great violence and loss at the hand of an enemy, wouldn't you desire the same to be done to the enemy that did this to you? Where's all this "holier-than-thou" coming from?

No, same God, new purpose unfolding according to prophecy. Old Testament teaches His law and His retribution. In exactly the same spirit as the New Testament, however, it also teaches very strongly His mercy, and His help and support to all who trust Him and call upon Him, as over and over shows how He delivers those who call upon Him. Also His desire to save, and He promises to send a savior. Absolutely the same God.

Big mistake. The whole Bible is about God. Big mistake not to learn that He is a God of vengeance and wrath as well as a God of mercy and salvation. Both are affirmed throughout Old and New Testaments, but mercy finally became fully available to all through Jesus Christ.