WHY IS GOD SO CRUEL ?

I often come across the question: Why does the Old Testament seem so cruel, and why does God allow such cruelty and evil - both in ancient times and today? Many people wrestle with the mysteries of God and the parts of the Bible that are hard to grasp. 

These are difficult questions, especially when the Bible teaches that "God is love" (1 John 4:8). And while not every question has a complete answer - after all, we’re talking about the Creator of the universe, whom we can never fully understand - there are explanations. There’s enough to offer a general understanding of the “why.”

1. We have to consider the context
The Bible isn’t a history book in the modern sense. It tells the story of God’s relationship with humanity in a specific time and culture. The societies back then were extremely violent - war, conquest, and displacement were everyday realities. God meets people where they are, even in the midst of such cultures.

2. God is just and and patient
Before many of the judgments we read about in the Old Testament, there was a long period of warning and patience from God (see Genesis 15:16). For example, the Canaanites practiced child sacrifice and extreme cruelty. God’s judgment is never arbitrary - it is always a reflection of His justice.

3. The Old Testament versus the New Testament
With Jesus, we see God’s character revealed fully and clearly: “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). In the New Testament, love for our enemies becomes central (Matthew 5:44). The Old Testament shows God’s journey with a flawed humanity - and His goal was always reconciliation.

4. Not a template for violence today
The Old Testament accounts are not instructions for Christian behavior today. Jesus clearly forbids violence (Matthew 26:52).

5. We live in a fallen world
The Bible teaches that evil and suffering entered the world through the fall in Genesis 3. God created us with free will, but humans often misuse that freedom - and the consequences can be terrible.

6. God suffers with us
God is not indifferent to human suffering. In the Old Testament, He laments over injustice (e.g., Hosea 11:8). In the New Testament, God Himself enters into our suffering through Jesus and dies on the cross: “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering” (Isaiah 53:3).

7. God limits evil
Even if we don’t always understand how, the Bible teaches that God restrains evil and can bring good even out of painful situations (Romans 8:28).

8. God will ultimately defeat evil
The Bible promises that one day God will completely remove all evil and suffering: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death…” (Revelation 21:4).

Some things remain a mystery. Some passages in the Bible are difficult to understand. But God doesn't ask us to have all the answers - only to trust Him. He is not distant from our questions or our pain. He is near, He is just, and He is good. Even when we don’t understand everything, we’re not walking alone. Keep asking, keep seeking - God is faithful.