Now I will shortly pour out My wrath on you and spend My anger against you; judge you according to your ways and bring on you all your abominations. These divine maledictions carried their effect with them. 28When the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29he said, I am the Lord. [e], 3One day while Moses was taking care of the sheep and goats of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, he led the flock across the desert and came to Sinai, the holy mountain. The whole land of Egypt was brought to ruin by the flies. The Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. Moses said, I will do as you ask, and then you will know that there is no other god like the Lord, our God. What Does the Bible Say About Cruelty? - Learn Religions In addition, they claim to understand Gods thoughts, attributing to Him the dispositions of apathy or perverse delight required to characterize Him as cruel. They will come and eat everything that grows, everything that has survived the hail. 13So Moses raised his stick, and the Lord caused a wind from the east to blow on the land all that day and all that night. 5The Egyptians will then know that I am the Lord, when I raise my hand against them and bring the Israelites out of their country. 6Moses and Aaron did what the Lord commanded. 31That same night the king sent for Moses and Aaron and said, Get out, you and your Israelites! My house shall be called a house of prayer. Woe to those who enact evil statutesAnd to those who constantly record unjust decisions, So as to deprive the needy of justiceAnd rob the poor of My people of their rights,So that widows may be their spoilAnd that they may plunder the orphans. The book challenges us to enter into prayerful conversation about the role of suffering in this world and our relationship with God, knowing that we will not solve it but that we will come to experience Gods presence in the midst of it. Why should I listen to him and let Israel go? 14The man answered, Who made you our ruler and judge? Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. 18My people will listen to what you say to them. He shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and he shall bring terms of an agreement and perform them. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Fine speech is not becoming to a fool; still less is false speech to a prince. 39They baked unleavened bread from the dough that they had brought out of Egypt, for they had been driven out of Egypt so suddenly that they did not have time to get their food ready or to prepare leavened dough. In all honesty, this is something that skeptics cant prove because they dont have access to Gods thinking. Using the Bible to Become More Masculine: A Guide for Men, Does the Bible Say Anything About Mother Earth? He shall give him the daughter of women to destroy the kingdom, but it shall not stand or be to his advantage. I have never been a good speaker, and I haven't become one since you began to speak to me. It is a book that seeks more to describe the human reaction to suffering than . When transgression isnt met with consequences, it just encourages more offenses, which harms civilization in general. God only cares about Himself and His plan. And then the New Testament closes with another Old Testament. You shall plant and cultivate vineyards, but you will neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes, for the worm will devour them. I will force him to let my people go. And do not break any of the animal's bones. A Psalm of David. Be strong and courageous. And take up a lamentation on the bare heights; Before him there was no king like him who turned to the. 12On that night I will go through the land of Egypt, killing every first-born male, both human and animal, and punishing all the gods of Egypt. She does not trust in the Lord; she does not draw near to her God. For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. When the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and afflicted them. Then I will bring severe punishment on Egypt and lead the tribes of my people out of the land. God is merciful and patient, not cruel since He allows rebels to continue throwing their hands at Him for as long as they do. You shall not hand over to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. (John 14:15, ESV ) 2. Then the king of the north shall come and throw up siegeworks and take a well-fortified city. Our finite, restricted minds arent even capable of accurately imagining Him, let alone questioning or challenging Him. 2During this time a man from the tribe of Levi married a woman of his own tribe, 2(F)and she bore him a son. Geocoding 30 Bible Verses about God Executes Vengeance - Online Bible The Lord said, I will remove Judah also from My sight, as I have removed Israel. 7The people are to take some of the blood and put it on the doorposts and above the doors of the houses in which the animals are to be eaten. Why Was God So Harsh In the Old Testament but More - Desiring God 2(P)God spoke to Moses and said, I am the Lord. He even saw an Egyptian kill a Hebrew, one of Moses' own people. I am such a poor speaker., 13The Lord commanded Moses and Aaron: Tell the Israelites and the king of Egypt that I have ordered you to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.. We have let the Israelites escape, and we have lost them as our slaves! 6The king got his war chariot and his army ready. dip it in the bowl containing; or put it on the threshold covered with. For God shows no partiality. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. May he vindicate the afflicted of the people. (in Hebrew literally Sea of Reeds) evidently referred to (1) a series of lakes and marshes between the head of the Gulf of Suez and the Mediterranean, the region generally regarded as the site of the events described in, triumphantly; or under the protection of the. You must buy back every first-born male child of yours. Celebrate it for all time to come., 15The Lord said, For seven days you must not eat any bread made with yeasteat only unleavened bread. 13The Lord then said to Moses, Early tomorrow morning meet with the king and tell him that the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says, Let my people go, so that they may worship me. "I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. T But when the Egyptian chariots with their horses and drivers went into the sea, the Lord brought the water back, and it covered them. By continuously forewarning people of sins repercussions, He shows His compassion for them. For one will scarcely die for a righteous personthough perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. There is a heavy burden of proof on the nonbelievers who accuse God of being cruel. But they said, We will not walk in it. I set watchmen over you, saying, Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet! But they said, We will not pay attention. Therefore hear, O nations, and know, O congregation, what will happen to them. The Lord has rejected His altar,He has abandoned His sanctuary;He has delivered into the hand of the enemyThe walls of her palaces.They have made a noise in the house of the LordAs in the day of an appointed feast. When God Feels Cruel | Desiring God 24At a camping place on the way to Egypt, the Lord met Moses and tried to kill him. But a father who disciplines his son to instruct or protect him is good. Convincing an unbeliever of Gods benevolence is one of the most challenging tasks. God's wrath is being revealed against "unrighteousness" and the truth is being . When I cannot understand my Father's leading, And it seems to be but hard and cruel fate, Still I hear that gentle whisper ever pleading, God is working, God is faithful-Only wait. I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will the wicked afflict them any more as formerly. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. The Lord shall cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you will go out one way against them, but you will flee seven ways before them, and you will be an example of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 24You and your children must obey these rules forever. You have turned cruel to me. Like heat in drought, You subdue the uproar of aliens;Like heat by the shadow of a cloud, the song of the ruthless is silenced. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. At college I discovered the prefix in the word "omnipresent . What Does "God is a Jealous God" Mean in Scripture? - Christianity I know that he can speak well. Jesus Christ: Why He Allowed Himself to Be Killed. But I will make the king stubborn, and he will not let the people go. These are the clans of Levi with their descendants. 30Aaron told them everything that the Lord had said to Moses, and then Moses performed all the miracles in front of the people. He killed the Egyptians, but spared us.. 32But none of the wheat was ruined, because it ripens later. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. K But he was stubborn and would not let the people go. Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends. by your strength you guided them to your sacred land. For example, the online Skeptics Annotated Bible has an entire section devoted to biblical passages that, they claim, demonstrate that God is cruel. 47The whole community of Israel must celebrate this festival, 48but no uncircumcised man may eat it. For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. Bible verses related to Being Mean from the King James Version (KJV) by Relevance. 12Now, go! 8When the festival begins, explain to your sons that you do all this because of what the Lord did for you when you left Egypt. Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great. Then Moses went to their rescue and watered their animals for them. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. This seems strange until we understand that in a kings court, the role of the accuser was known as the satan. Because of the rite of circumcision she said to Moses, You are a husband of blood to me. And so the Lord spared Moses' life. He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker. They will be worse than anything your ancestors ever saw. Then Moses turned and left. Blog, A 4If you keep on refusing, then I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. 4You are leaving Egypt on this day in the first month, the month of Abib. What does it mean that God is a jealous God? Why is God jealous? your anger blazes out and burns them up like straw. The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters. and A Well-Built Faith (all from Loyola Press). After that he will let you go. 11You are to eat it quickly, for you are to be dressed for travel, with your sandals on your feet and your walking stick in your hand. 10The king said, I swear by the Lord that I will never let you take your women and children! Then you will be like God, telling him what to say. 10(D)In case of war they might join our enemies in order to fight against us, and might escape from[b] the country. Your carcasses will be food to all birds of the sky and to the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away. On the day I do, you will die!, 29You are right, Moses answered. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. Whoever does not love abides in death. In his letter to the church at Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul wrote, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). You shall not oppress a sojourner. His majesty, not our own, is the fundamental objective. You shall be driven mad by the sight of what you see. 7Then the Lord said, Put your hand inside your robe again. He did so, and when he took it out this time, it was healthy, just like the rest of his body. The cricket shall possess all your trees and the produce of your ground. 16(Q)Levi had three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; they were the ancestors of the clans that bear their names. 3Moses said to the people, Remember this daythe day on which you left Egypt, the place where you were slaves. 15They covered the ground until it was black with them; they ate everything that the hail had left, including all the fruit on the trees. If this answer is not totally satisfying, please know that the Book of Job has not satisfied anyone over the past few thousand years! So we're in a window right now. And in the greatness of Your excellence You overthrow those who rise up against You; You send forth Your burning anger, and it consumes them as chaff. Before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him. Make them go and find it for themselves. So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. 41On the day the 430 years ended, all the tribes of the Lord's people left Egypt. There is an entire section of the online Skeptics Annotated Bible devoted to verses they say prove God is cruel. But it shall come about, if you do not obey the. B. Simpson. 7The king asked what had happened and was told that none of the animals of the Israelites had died. Let the Israelite men go, so that they can worship the Lord their God. G 5The Lord said, Do this to prove to the Israelites that the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to you., 6The Lord spoke to Moses again, Put your hand inside your robe. Moses obeyed; and when he took his hand out, it was diseased, covered with white spots, like snow. And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Access 50+ premium resources. 10When the Israelites saw the king and his army marching against them, they were terrified and cried out to the Lord for help. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. But if God didn't exist and the Bible weren't His Word, there would be no basis to say that good and evil exist, and therefore, brutality would be neither good nor bad. Who can work miracles and mighty acts like yours? Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one's youth. Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. The flies left the king, his officials, and his people; not one fly remained. Psalm 127:3-5 is a key passage: "Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. But you have received the "Spirit of full acceptance," enfolding you into the family of God. 4Moses then said to the king, The Lord says, At about midnight I will go through Egypt, 5and every first-born son in Egypt will die, from the king's son, who is heir to the throne, to the son of the slave woman who grinds grain. 20But the Lord made the king stubborn, and he did not let the Israelites go. 14Then the Lord said to Moses, 2Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the Red Sea, near Baal Zephon. Joe Paprocki, D.Min., is National Consultant for Faith Formation at For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. HOLDING FAST IN PRAYER (LUKE 18:1-8) - Facebook Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning. 5There will be so many that they will completely cover the ground. Why did you leave the man out there? I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts. By morning it had brought the locusts. No leavened bread is to be eaten. 14(S)Then the Lord said to Moses, The king is very stubborn and refuses to let the people go. The Book of Revelation is horrific! S Numerous accounts in the Bible of individuals being slain, receiving punishment or judgment, or going through trying times give the impression that God is cruel and unfair. Indeed, the officials and all the people considered Moses to be a very great man. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. And Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And they cast lots to divide his garments. BEING CRUEL IN THE BIBLE - King James Bible Online I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. It is the Passover Festival to honor me, the Lord. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. There were gnats everywhere, 19(U)and the magicians said to the king, God has done this! But the king was stubborn and, just as the Lord had said, the king would not listen to Moses and Aaron. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. Okay, but what about the bad stuff? James 1:26 ESV / 15 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood Visit the Bible online to search for words if you dont know the specific passage yourre looking for. 3So Moses and Aaron went to the king and said to him, The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says, How much longer will you refuse to submit to me? Moreover, I will deliver the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel master,And a mighty king will rule over them, declares the Lord God of hosts. 25He saw the slavery of the Israelites and was concerned for them. If we use these animals and offend the Egyptians by sacrificing them where they can see us, they will stone us to death. 11He says that you must go and get it for yourselves wherever you can find it, but you must still make the same number of bricks. 12So the people went all over Egypt looking for straw. Though the word, "omnipresence," doesn't appear in the Bible, the concept is clear in Matthew 18:20 and many other scriptures. 21During the day the Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud to show them the way, and during the night he went in front of them in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel night and day. Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will not eat of it; your donkey shall be torn away from you, and will not be restored to you; your sheep shall be given to your enemies, and you will have none to save you. When I see the blood, I will pass over you and will not harm you when I punish the Egyptians. Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel. He said, Behold, I am going to let you know what will occur at the final period of the indignation, for it pertains to the appointed time of the end. But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, Cut off your hair and cast it away,And take up a lamentation on the bare heights;For the Lord has rejected and forsakenThe generation of His wrath., Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide My face from them, and they will be consumed, and many evils and troubles will come upon them; so that they will say in that day, Is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have come upon us?. 12They threw down their walking sticks, and the sticks turned into snakes.