YOUNG PEOPLE ASK: “Why Would a Loving God Command the Killing of Entire Nations in the Old Testament?”

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This is one of the most challenging and emotional Bible difficulty questions that many young people wrestle with—especially in a world that emphasizes human rights, kindness, and tolerance. It’s fair to ask, “How could the God of love, who sent Jesus to die for our sins, also command Israel to wipe out whole people groups in the Old Testament?” For someone who is just beginning to dig into the Scriptures, this issue can be unsettling.

But let’s take a deep breath and look carefully. This isn’t a contradiction in God’s character, but rather a profound moment where we see His justice, His holiness, and yes—His love—woven together in a way that may seem hard to grasp at first, but with maturity and spiritual understanding, we can begin to see clearly.

What Really Happened?

Let’s start by understanding the context. One of the clearest examples is when God commanded the Israelites, under Joshua’s leadership, to destroy the Canaanites during the conquest of the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; Joshua 6–11). These weren’t random attacks or acts of racial hatred. God wasn’t telling Israel to conquer just for the sake of power. These were specific judgments upon specific nations because of their deeply entrenched wickedness.

The Canaanites were not peaceful villagers. They were engaged in brutal, detestable acts that included child sacrifice (they literally burned their infants alive to please their gods, see Deuteronomy 12:31), ritual prostitution, demonic worship, bestiality, and widespread moral corruption. For centuries, God had shown them patience (Genesis 15:16). He gave them hundreds of years to repent, but they continually hardened their hearts.

When God judged them, He wasn’t being cruel. He was acting as the righteous Judge of all the earth. Would you call a police officer unjust for stopping a serial killer? Would a court be evil for sentencing a war criminal? The real surprise is not that God judged the Canaanites—it’s that He was so patient for so long.

Why the Destruction of All?

A question still remains—why did God command the killing of even the women and children in some cities (e.g., Joshua 6:21)? This is perhaps the hardest part to understand emotionally, but here’s where we need to realize the difference between our limited human perspective and God’s perfect, all-knowing perspective.

First, we must remember that God is the Author of life. He gives life, and He has the right to take it. None of us deserves life forever, and death—while tragic from our point of view—is not the end in God’s eyes. Every soul continues to exist after death. God’s judgment does not mean unjust cruelty. He never acts out of rash anger or hatred the way sinful humans do.

The Canaanite Genocide: How Can a Holy and Loving God Justify the Destruction of Entire Peoples in the Old Testament?

Second, in the ancient world, entire nations were deeply united in their spiritual and moral corruption. The children were not neutral parties. They were being raised to embrace the same idolatry, cruelty, and godlessness. God, in His infinite knowledge, could see their future—what they would grow up to become. By removing them, He was also protecting future generations of Israel from being led into the same horrific sins.

Third, this wasn’t a practice that Israel was supposed to repeat over and over. These commands were for a specific time, a specific purpose, and a specific place. It was a form of divine judgment, not a pattern for all military actions. In fact, when Israel later acted without God’s approval or when they mistreated foreigners, God judged them harshly (see Amos 2:6–16, Isaiah 1).

Is This Still Relevant Today?

A lot of young people wonder: “Does this mean Christians should act this way today?” Absolutely not. The commands to Israel were never meant for the Church. We’re under a New Covenant in Jesus Christ. The mission of the Church is not conquest but gospel. Jesus told Peter to put away his sword (Matthew 26:52). The weapons of our warfare are not carnal (2 Corinthians 10:4), but spiritual. Christians are called to win people’s hearts, not destroy their lives. We don’t bring judgment—we bring the Good News of salvation through Christ.

In fact, the Canaanite situation stands as a solemn warning for our own generation. It shows us how seriously God takes sin, how patient He is, and how there does come a time when judgment falls if people persist in rebellion. Right now, the world is being offered the mercy of God. But there is a Day of Judgment coming (Acts 17:30–31). That’s not something to ignore.

What Does This Tell Us About God?

Young believer, don’t be afraid of the difficult parts of Scripture. They are not there to trip you up, but to teach you deep truth. When we see God’s judgment in the Old Testament, we also see His justice, holiness, and authority. He hates sin not because He’s cruel, but because He is good. He hates what destroys us.

And this is what makes the cross of Jesus Christ shine so brightly. On the cross, God’s mercy and judgment met. Instead of pouring out wrath on us, Jesus took it in our place (Isaiah 53:5). He bore the punishment for our rebellion. The God who judged the Canaanites is the same God who judged His own Son for our sins, so that we could be forgiven.

That’s love. That’s justice. That’s the heart of God.

A Final Thought for Young Minds

You will meet people—especially online—who will throw these tough Old Testament stories at you to shake your faith. Don’t let them. Know your Bible. Read it deeply. Ask honest questions. But never let go of the truth: God is good, always. Just because something is hard to understand doesn’t mean it’s wrong. The deeper you go into God’s Word, the more you’ll see that He is not only just, but far more loving than the world can ever imagine.

And if He can use Israel to carry out justice back then, He can use you today to carry out grace—by loving the lost, sharing the gospel, and living a holy life in a corrupt world.

Stand firm. Believe boldly. Trust deeply.

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About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).