Is God A Killer?

Q

A question that I’ve been stumbling to answer or comprehend is the fact that the Old Testament sometimes label God as a killer. We hear of many events where God would kill the nations that were fighting the Israelites. From these events people conclude that our God is the killer, that makes me uneasy. Is our God really a killer, based on these story in the Old Testament?

A

Israel only fought one war of conquest and that was when the Lord made them the agency of His judgment against the Canaanites, (Deut. 7:1-2 & 18:9-13) who had rejected His offer of peace for 400 years. All the rest, to this day, have been defensive wars against aggressors. Since the Jews are God’s people, those who fight against them are fighting against God. As in all wars, many have died. But it has always been man who has attacked God, not the other way around. In a few years, another war against God will be fought and before it’s over half of the world’s population will be dead. It seems mankind never learns.