Reading Scripture: Is God Cruel?

There are several incidents in the Bible where God can be seen as very harsh and even cruel. Yet, we know that we worship a loving God. So, how do we understand and resolve these apparent contradictions.

Some of the misunderstanding comes from reading Scripture out of context; referring to a single verse devoid of the remainder of Scripture. However, the majority of misinterpretation comes from taking Scripture out of its temporal and cultural context.

Let's look at a few examples.

1. In the Book of Genesis God asked Abraham to offer his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice. Many read this and ask how can God ask a father to slaughter and burn his son. Seeing this as a very cruel demand, their faith is challenged and they turn away from God.

   To understand this passage we must consider its temporal and cultural context. Abraham was called by God and led by the spirit to leave Babylon and make a long journey to Canaan. It's unlikely that Abraham knew a lot about the God who had just called him, and Abraham did not receive this call in a vacuum. He took his sense of morality and the culture of his times with him.

   Human sacrifice to the gods was very common at the time and was practiced worldwide. So, such a request (and practice) was not unusual. It is likely that Abraham accepted God's command as an act of faith. Abraham obeyed. But, what happened? God's messenger told Abraham, “Do not lay your hand on the boy.” Instead of calling for a human sacrifice, God taught Abraham, and later Israel, that human sacrifice was not acceptable. Later, God would also take away animal sacrifice. So, the story, when read in its temporal context, has the exact opposite meaning of its casual interpretation.

2. Another example is found in the Great Flood. “When God saw how corrupt the earth had become, since all mortals led depraved lives on earth, he said to Noah: 'I have decided to put an end to all mortals on earth; the earth is full of lawlessness because of them. So I will destroy them and all life on earth.'”

   The challenge in understanding this passage is, again, God seems cruel to destroy the inhabitants on earth. Noah was loudly mocked by the people who fail to repent. Jewish tradition tells us that the people were so violent and depraved that, if left alone, they would have destroyed all mankind.

   Obviously, it took a long time for Noah to build the Arc, and the people had ample time to repent. God was merciful with them, but they continued and grew in their sinful ways. Thus, having Noah build the Arc, instead of destroying mankind, actually saved it.

3. As a final example, God said, “But if injury ensues, you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” If this scriptural text is interpreted using today's customs and morals, it would seem that God is recommending lawlessness and revenge.

   However, if the Passage is read in the context of the times and culture, it has a very different meaning. First, the law enforcement and court systems we have today did not exist. There was little recourse and offenses were largely settled by confrontations and violence. But the violence was not limited to the offender. Revenge was extracted on the offender's family, his cattle, his land, and his entire community. So, the Lord is stating that recompense needs to be proportional. Later, Jesus would say, “When someone strikes you on [your] right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.” Such is God's love that He takes us as we are, where we are, and gradually teaches and leads us to be like Him.

Hopefully, in these few examples we can see that Scripture must be read in its temporal and cultural context. Scripture must be understood as what was said and what was meant at that time and place. The key is, whenever it seems that God is harsh, vindictive, or cruel, it's a clue that there is something we do not understand, and that further research is needed.