the book of job, and an unjust god

The Amalekites could have repented and asked God for forgiveness.

How long did it take you to figure out that the children of the parents you slayed would someday avenge themselves of you?

So we should kill people for what they might do someday?

Coragyps writes:The Amalekites, though, had only their enemies' word that this particular god even existed, and this particular god claimed (or was claimed, rather) to be the god of the Israelites, not the Amalekites. Do you follow the commands of Zeus or of Chango, dpardo? Aren't you afraid of them zapping your kids?

17 And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller's field.
18 And when they had called to the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder.
19 And Rabshakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?
20 Thou sayest, (but they are but vain words,) I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?
21 Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him.
22 But if ye say unto me, We trust in the LORD our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?
23 Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.
24 How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
25 Am I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.

Dan Carroll writes:So we should kill people for what they might do someday?

Berberry writes:Why couldn't God just "miracle" the little kids minds to not remember Amalek? Why was it necessary to slaughter them?

Berberry writes:Irrelevant. Any religion can invent a flood story to make it seem that all of mankind is desended from its own Noah character.

Regardless of one's view of God, one thing cannot be argued. No matter how much we try to ignore it or deny it, God allows sin, suffering, warfare and death. The Bible itself is full of the same, and that is one of the reasons it is accepted as history, because its record is honest and plausible regarding man's imperfection. Attempts to make the Bible more palatable by "toning down" the judgments of God against other nations, the conducting of aggressive warfare against the Canaanites, and God's occasional strong hand against his own people are simply wishful thinking. It is easier to accept the God of the Bible, because of what we see around us, than to believe that God is like a kindly old grandfather that would never get angry or have harsh words.

How long did it take you to figure out that the children of the parents you slayed would someday avenge themselves of you?

What is the context of what occurred?

Sidelined writes:Guess the Amelekites should not have shown mercy and slaughtered the whole lot eh? Pity that they should make such a mistake.