When God’s Love Looks Like Judgment

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Was the God of the Old Testament Evil?

Some passages in the Old Testament are deeply unsettling. They challenge our understanding of God as loving and just, forcing us to wrestle with difficult questions about His character and actions. One such example is found in 1 Samuel 15:2–3, where God commands Saul:

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

At first glance, this command feels harsh—perhaps even unjust. How can such judgment be reconciled with the God of love we see revealed in Scripture?

To understand this, we must look through a biblical lens—not just a human one.

A God of Justice and Redemption

The Old Testament shows us the cost of living apart from God. It reveals what happens when humanity chooses its own way: evil, corruption, chaos, and death. God gave His people laws and rituals—not as a means to earn salvation, but to show them their need for it. Every failure was a reminder that they couldn’t save themselves. Judgment was not meant to destroy them, but to awaken them to a greater truth: only grace could save them.

Ultimately, everything pointed forward to the coming of Jesus Christ. The message is clear: if we choose to live without grace—without Christ—then we face a holy God on our own. And when imperfection stands before perfection, judgment is not only inevitable—it’s just.

Why Did God Destroy the Amalekites?

God knows the end from the beginning. He sees every heart, every intention, every future decision. The Amalekites were not innocent victims—they were a wicked, violent people who repeatedly opposed God and His people. In His perfect knowledge, God knew they would never repent or turn to Him.

We often struggle with this idea, but even in our human justice systems, we impose life sentences or even capital punishment on those deemed dangerous to society. God’s judgment on the Amalekites was not arbitrary—it was divine justice.

Their destruction was also a foreshadowing of final judgment—the day when all who reject God will be separated from Him forever. The Amalekites simply experienced on earth what awaits all who choose rebellion over redemption.

But What About the Children?

This is perhaps the most difficult part of the passage.

First, Scripture teaches that no one is truly "innocent." We are all born with a sinful nature, including children. However, that does not mean infants and young children are condemned to Hell. A child who cannot yet understand sin, repentance, or faith is not held accountable in the same way as one who can.

Many Christians believe in the concept of an “age of accountability”—a point at which a person becomes capable of understanding their need for salvation. While this age varies, God knows the heart and the mind of each individual and judges accordingly—with perfect justice and mercy.

In His divine wisdom, God may have taken those children to spare them from lives of corruption and sin. Though tragic from our perspective, their death may, in God’s eternal plan, be an act of mercy—bringing them home before they would have to suffer through life with their people.

Some may ask, “If children go to Heaven, wouldn’t it be better to end their lives early?” That kind of thinking is not only dangerous—it directly opposes God’s heart and character. He does not endorse or excuse evil. Children are not burdens to be removed—they are gifts to be cherished, protected, and nurtured. Parenting is a sacred calling, a reflection of God’s own love for His children.

We have no right to treat the gifts God has given—our bodies, this world, or our children—with disregard or contempt.

Death—The Beginning of Life

Most people fear death because they see it as the end of life—a transition from life to death. But God sees it differently: as a passage from death into life. When we leave this earthly existence, we step into eternity—either into Heaven or into Hell. It is not the end of life, but the beginning of a new, eternal one—either in the presence of God or separated from Him eternally.

Death isn’t tragic—it’s inevitable, the final stop on our journey.

Many view physical death as being torn away from our true home, but in God’s eyes, it is the moment we finally leave a world marked by death and futility. For those who trust Him, it is the doorway to rest, peace, and life eternal. For those who reject Him, it is the tragic confirmation of their separation from Him forever.

How would you feel if you were God—longing to rescue your children from the prison of this broken world and welcome them home—only to find they were afraid to come?

What if, instead of running to you with joy, they resisted you in fear? Instead of trusting your love, you had to drag them home from the very darkness that’s been keeping you apart?

Limited Vision, Unlimited Judgments

Humanity suffers from a limited perspective. We criticize the football coach from the stands, sure we could make better calls. We grumble about politicians and bosses, convinced we could lead more wisely. And yet—we turn and judge God, as if we, with our narrow vision, could run the world better than He does.

We suffer from deep hypocrisy. We lie, cheat, and murder. We let others starve, including children, while calling God cruel. We condemn Him for judgment, yet we pass our own—executing criminals and locking them away for life. We turn our backs on the homeless and the suffering. We accuse God of taking life, yet we abort our own children and feed them poisons that slowly destroy them.

Scripture is clear: we are a rebellious people. And still, God patiently does everything He can to rescue us from the very evil that demands His judgment.

The Love of the Old Testament God

Some claim there is no love in the God of the Old Testament. But nothing could be further from the truth.

God’s love is shown in His justice, in His discipline, and in His unwavering desire to save us from ourselves. He allows us to witness the full weight of sin and justice—so that we might run to the safety of His mercy.

But we’ve redefined love. Today, love often means comfort, indulgence, or emotional affirmation. True love, however, confronts what is destructive. Like the parent of a drug-addicted child, tough love sometimes means letting them face consequences in hopes they will return. To let them stay and die slowly would not be love—it would be abandonment.

God is not abandoning us. He is doing everything in His power—through grace, forgiveness, the death and resurrection of Jesus—to draw us back to Himself.

But are we doing everything in our power? To save ourselves, our children, and those we love? To warn them? To teach them? To lead them into the truth?

Far too often, the answer is no.

The World vs. God's Way

Meanwhile, the world offers chaos, confusion, suffering, and sin. And yet we judge God, while accepting everything the world offers without question.

So we must ask: Where is the love in that?

Don’t turn away from God just because you don’t understand what He’s doing. The world won’t give you clarity—it will only deepen your confusion.

Turn to Him. Let Him show you His truth, in His way, and in His time. You will never make sense of life by looking to the world. Only the One who sees all—past, present, and eternity—can make sense of it for you.

The Same God

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The God of the Old Testament is the same loving and just God revealed in the New Testament. He is the same jealous God—not out of insecurity, but because He alone is God, and He knows there is no other.

In the Old Testament, His love was shown through the gift of free choice, even though He knew we would choose rebellion and make ourselves His enemies. Yet in the New Testament, that same love went even further—He gave His life for us while we were still His enemies, so that we might return to Him.

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” — Jeremiah 29:13