Extreme Violence!

2 Chronicles 25:12 Also the children of Judah took captive ten thousand alive, brought them to the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, so that they all were dashed in pieces.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

Of course this does not specifically state that God commanded the children of Judah to commit these violent acts. However, earlier in the chapter, it does state that Amaziah, who was leading Judah's efforts here, "did what was right in the sight of the Lord." This is one of the verses from the Old Testament I try not to meditate on.

What to do with body parts which cause you to sin!

Matthew 5:29-30 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

1. If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out
2. If your hands cause you to sin, cut it off

Of course, if you read this as a principle, it can be applied to any body part. Guys, please be careful.

God sends evil spirits!

Judges 9:22-23 After Abimelech had governed Israel three years, God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, who acted treacherously against Abimelech.

See also 1 Samuel 18:10 & story of Job

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

Many modern day Christians believe this concept, which has several Old Testament references and even demonstrated through the life of Judas in the New Testament, is not in the character of God.

Achan, his family and his animals, stoned and burned

Joshua 7:19-26 Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and give him the praise. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me."

Achan replied, "It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath."

So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the LORD.

Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. Joshua said, "Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today."

Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

I continue to be a amazed as to how much God is like a man and subject to the same emotions as man. In this story, Achan took some of the loot that normally goes into the "treasury of the LORD's house" for himself. God gets angry so he allows 36 Israelites to be killed in the next battle. To appease God, the perpetrator and his entire family were stoned and burned.

He shall break their bones and pierce them with his arrows

Numbers 24:8 “God brings him out of Egypt;
He has strength like a wild ox;
He shall consume the nations, his enemies;
He shall break their bones
And pierce them with his arrows.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

KJV says unicorn instead of wild ox. Great image, eh?

Torn to pieces by leopards, wolves, and lions

Jeremiah 5:6 Therefore a lion from the forest shall slay them,
A wolf of the deserts shall destroy them;
A leopard will watch over their cities.
Everyone who goes out from there shall be torn in pieces,
Because their transgressions are many;
Their backslidings have increased.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

In case you're wondering, God does use animals to fulfill his plans.

God delivers an army into Moses' hands to be slaughtered

Numbers 21:32-35 After Moses had sent spies to Jazer, the Israelites captured its surrounding settlements and drove out the Amorites who were there. Then they turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole army marched out to meet them in battle at Edrei.

The LORD said to Moses, "Do not be afraid of him, for I have handed him over to you, with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon."

So they struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army, leaving them no survivors. And they took possession of his land.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

There were no such thing as "Prisoners of War" in these days.

Jonathan's first slaughter - 20 men

1 Samuel 14:13-14 And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and knees with his armorbearer after him; and they fell before Jonathan. And as he came after him, his armorbearer killed them. That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armorbearer made was about twenty men within about half an acre of land.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

Not bad for a first slaughter.

Stoned or shot with arrows for touching Mount Sinai

Exodus 19:12-13 Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. He shall surely be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on him. Whether man or animal, he shall not be permitted to live.’ Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast may they go up to the mountain.”

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

I have to admit when I stared the blog I did not expect to make it through January without running out of scriptures to post. Boy was I wrong.

Elijah calls down fire from heaven to kill 102 men

2 Kings 1:9-12 Then he sent to Elijah a captain with his company of fifty men. The captain went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, "Man of God, the king says, 'Come down!' " Elijah answered the captain, "If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!" Then fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men. At this the king sent to Elijah another captain with his fifty men. The captain said to him, "Man of God, this is what the king says, 'Come down at once!' " "If I am a man of God," Elijah replied, "may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!" Then the fire of God fell from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

Couldn't Elijah use a more humane sign to prove that he's a man of God?

Have the prostitute burned to death says the man who slept with her

Genesis 38:13-18,24 When Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep," she took off her widow's clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife.

When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, "Come now, let me sleep with you."
"And what will you give me to sleep with you?" she asked.

"I'll send you a young goat from my flock," he said.
"Will you give me something as a pledge until you send it?" she asked. He said, "What pledge should I give you?"
"Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand," she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

..About three months later Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant."
Judah said, "Bring her out and have her burned to death!"

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

Don't you find it interesting that the very man who slept with Tamar thinking she's a prostitute is calling for her to be burnt to death because she was guilty of prostitution? Don't you find that a bit hypocritical?

Ban those who hired Balaam from the assembly for 10 generations

Deuteronomy 23:3-4 An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD forever, because they did not meet you with bread and water on the road when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

I'm sure they had to have done a lot more than what this verse mentions in order to have an almost lifetime ban from being a part of the congregation.

Saul prophesies naked

1 Samuel 19:23-24 So [Saul] went there to Naioth in Ramah. Then the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on and prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. And he also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

Earlier we read that God instructed Isaiah to walk naked and barefoot for 3 years. Here we see Saul prophesying naked before Samuel than laying naked all that day and night.

Can you imagine if any of this happened today? We'd be confined to a mental asylum.

If you're illegitimate, you cannot enter the assembly

Deuteronomy 23:2 One of illegitimate birth shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

In other words, if a child is born illegitimately, they are excluded from being a part of the congregation. Not only that but also all their descendants for 10 generations.

I do wonder who kept track of this data.

The Spirit of the Lord came on Samson and he killed 30 men

Judges 14:19 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power. He went down to Ashkelon, killed thirty of their men, stripped them of their belongings and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

At least in the New Testament era, when the Spirit of the Lord comes on people in power, they speak in tongues and prophecy. Much better.

God kills 2 brothers!

Genesis 38:6-10 Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD killed him. And Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and marry her, and raise up an heir to your brother.” But Onan knew that the heir would not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in to his brother’s wife, that he spilled his semen on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother. And the thing which he did displeased the LORD; therefore He killed him also.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

Er was killed for being wicked. Onan was killed for ejaculating on the ground instead of inside his slaughtered brother's wife.

These readings are definitely for mature adults. Please do not read these scriptures to your children tonight.

Yet another genocide of the resilient Amalekiates

1 Samuel 27:8-9,11 Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these peoples had lived in the land extending to Shur and Egypt.) Whenever David attacked an area, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but took sheep and cattle, donkeys and camels, and clothes. Then he returned to Achish... He did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he thought, "They might inform on us and say, 'This is what David did.' " And such was his practice as long as he lived in Philistine territory.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

Earlier we read that Saul was instructed by God to totally destroy the Amalekites. However, Saul spared the life of the King and the best of the livestock. This caused God to regret making Saul King of Israel. Samuel had to personally kill the King of the Amalekites to complete the destruction of this people. However, in the above passage, the next King of Israel, David, kills off the Amalekites once again. You would think after being utterly destroyed twice, it would be the end of the Amalekites. However, in 1 Samuel 30 (while David was still King), the Amalekites invaded Israel once again. Resilient bunch, these Amalekites.

RELATED READINGS

- Genocide of the Amalekites