The reason we can so quickly get down on God for wiping out multitudes of people is because we have a subjective stance on the definition of the word good.
For example, we define good perhaps as helping some old lady across the street. Someone watching us do such a task is immediately impressed with our servant hood and they give us praise and kudos. However, we don't see the big picture. If we knew that sweet old lady that we just helped across the street was going across that street to slip cyanide in all the people's cups at the corner coffee shop, we hopefully wouldn't have helped her carry out the task because of the bad that was in reality carried out by her.
Or we may think it is a good task to give money to someone off the street, while that may seem noble if more information was given and you came to find out they were going to use it to purchase drugs? It would not be such a good thing afterall would it?
Or we may think it is a good task to give a stranger a ride in our car to a grocery store, while that may seem noble if more information was given and you came to find out they were going there to rob the joint? It would not be such a good thing afterall would it?
Therefore, God alone has the right to define the word good. With God seeing the whole picture he never makes a mistake. There is no hindsight with God. Everything God does is motivated by his nature; his goodness, his justice, his holiness. And that is why God can kill an individual or a group of people, like the Amalikites, and it can be a good thing. In fact, it can be considered the best thing.
Finally, who is the One among you that is able to define good? What gives you the right to say what God does is right or wrong? If, as you say, goodness is subjective then there is no right nor wrong. Rather, you would be left with saying what God did is not your preference. However, even then, how can you make that statement since you are not omniscient to know whether or not it was the correct action taken to destroy a certain people group based upon all the information such as the instances above?
Just a thought.
-mark
For example, we define good perhaps as helping some old lady across the street. Someone watching us do such a task is immediately impressed with our servant hood and they give us praise and kudos. However, we don't see the big picture. If we knew that sweet old lady that we just helped across the street was going across that street to slip cyanide in all the people's cups at the corner coffee shop, we hopefully wouldn't have helped her carry out the task because of the bad that was in reality carried out by her.
Or we may think it is a good task to give money to someone off the street, while that may seem noble if more information was given and you came to find out they were going to use it to purchase drugs? It would not be such a good thing afterall would it?
Or we may think it is a good task to give a stranger a ride in our car to a grocery store, while that may seem noble if more information was given and you came to find out they were going there to rob the joint? It would not be such a good thing afterall would it?
Therefore, God alone has the right to define the word good. With God seeing the whole picture he never makes a mistake. There is no hindsight with God. Everything God does is motivated by his nature; his goodness, his justice, his holiness. And that is why God can kill an individual or a group of people, like the Amalikites, and it can be a good thing. In fact, it can be considered the best thing.
Finally, who is the One among you that is able to define good? What gives you the right to say what God does is right or wrong? If, as you say, goodness is subjective then there is no right nor wrong. Rather, you would be left with saying what God did is not your preference. However, even then, how can you make that statement since you are not omniscient to know whether or not it was the correct action taken to destroy a certain people group based upon all the information such as the instances above?
Just a thought.
-mark
