Violence and Destruction in the Old Testament

The Old Testament contains numerous accounts of violence and destruction. In some cases, these events are clearly the result of mortal people making unrighteous choices and misusing their agency. However, other passages describe violence or destruction that appears to have been permitted or caused by the Lord. It can be easy to wonder how Jesus Christ, “the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament,” could be associated with actions that seem so harsh or violent—especially when considering His teachings of love, mercy, and forgiveness in the New Testament. However, it is important to remember that God, who “is the same yesterday, today, and forever,” has always been perfectly merciful and perfectly just.

While much about the accounts of violence and destruction in the Old Testament remains difficult to fully comprehend, the following perspectives can help us approach them with greater understanding.

We may feel unsettled when reading stories of people behaving violently in the Old Testament. But it is important to remember that the ancient world was different from the one we live in today. People in that time endured a more violent existence than many modern people can comprehend. In general, accounts of violence in the Old Testament tell us what did happen. This does not excuse unrighteous behavior, but understanding the context of the ancient world can help us approach what we are reading with greater humility and charity.

While the Lord sometimes commanded the Israelites to go to battle, this was the exception rather than the rule. Above all, the Lord also emphasized the need for His people to seek peace and avoid violence. He commanded, “Love thy neighbour as thyself.” Those who acted violently without divine direction were not following the will of God. Additionally, we should not think that examples of violence in the Old Testament would ever be justification for committing violence today.

Accounts of divinely sanctioned violence in the Old Testament can be troubling because they seem inconsistent with His character. It is natural to focus on scriptures that highlight God’s mercy, forgiveness, and love and to avoid those that speak of His justice or righteous anger. But as we truly seek to understand God, we must consider the whole of His character. For example, we might ponder why the Lord is symbolized as both a lamb and a lion or how He can be both the “Prince of Peace” and a “man of war.” How is it that He can be both exacting and kind, angry and longsuffering, just and merciful?

These seemingly opposing attributes are not contradictions. Instead, they show the depth and breadth of God’s character. If we focus too much on one attribute at the expense of others, our view of Him becomes incomplete. Think of the problems that might come from taking an “either-or” view of God’s divine attributes—believing that He must be either fair and exacting or compassionate and forgiving. As we study the scriptures, it is important to consider how all of God’s attributes relate to His perfect love.

One of God’s attributes is that He is perfectly just. In the Old Testament, divine justice is sometimes described using words like indignation and anger, especially when He is responding to persistent disobedience and wickedness. But we should not assume that our feelings and expressions of anger, as fallen humans, are the same as God’s righteous anger. The Lord reminds us, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.”

Even the Lord’s righteous anger is a manifestation of His love. President Dallin H. Oaks taught: “We read again and again in the Bible and in modern scriptures of God’s anger with the wicked and of His acting in His wrath against those who violate His laws. How are anger and wrath evidence of His love? … God’s love is so perfect that He lovingly requires us to obey His commandments because He knows that only through obedience to His laws can we become perfect, as He is. For this reason, God’s anger and His wrath are not a contradiction of His love but an evidence of His love.”

The timing of God’s justice is also a sign of His love. He does not rush to condemn but gives repeated warnings and opportunities to repent. Elder D. Todd Christofferson taught, “Far from being anxious to condemn, our Heavenly Father and our Savior seek our happiness and plead with us to repent, knowing full well that ‘wickedness never was [and never will be] happiness’ [Alma 41:10].”

Two significant examples of divine judgment in the Old Testament are the Flood during the time of Noah and the conquest of the land of Canaan by the Israelites under the direction of Joshua. These events are difficult to fully comprehend. But they illustrate moments when the Lord acted in justice toward deeply wicked societies. Teachings from Restoration scripture and modern prophets can help us better understand the character of God and His purposes behind these judgments.

The Flood

At first glance, the Flood may appear to be the result of stern and exacting justice. However, the book of Moses teaches that Noah warned the people for 120 years that a flood would come if they did not repent. This prolonged warning shows the Lord’s longsuffering and patience.

The prophet Enoch’s vision recorded in Moses 7 provides further insight. The Lord explained that He had commanded the people of Noah’s day to love one another and follow Him; instead, they were “without affection, and they hate[d] their own blood.” Their rebellion caused the Lord to feel such great sorrow that He wept. Of this tender moment, President Jeffrey R. Holland taught, “That single, riveting scene does more to teach the true nature of God than any theological treatise could ever convey.” He continued, “What an indelible image of God’s engagement in our lives! … How easy to love someone who so singularly loves us!”

President John Taylor described the Flood as not only an act of judgment but also one of mercy. He explained that God’s actions “prevented [the people] from entailing their sins upon their posterity and degenerating [or corrupting] them.” Similarly, Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught that “corruption had reached [such] an agency-destroying point that spirits could not, in justice, be sent here.” From this perspective, the Flood was both a judgment upon the wicked and a merciful protection for future generations.

Despite the wickedness of the people in Noah’s day, God did not give up on them. Restoration scripture teaches that after these people died, they went to the spirit world. There they had the opportunity to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ, and they will ultimately be able to receive the ordinances of salvation and exaltation vicariously through temple work.

When viewed through the perspective of the restored gospel, the account of the Flood reveals God’s justice and mercy, His grief over the suffering of the wicked, and His eternal plan to offer redemption to all His children.

Even though we cannot fully comprehend all the instances of divinely sanctioned violence in the Old Testament, we can trust that God is perfectly just, merciful, and longsuffering. Everything He does is motivated by a desire to bless His children and help them return to Him.

At the heart of these difficult accounts is a God who deeply loves His children—even those who reject Him. His mercy is extended repeatedly, and His sorrow is real when they suffer the consequences of disobedience. Through Ezekiel, the Lord declared, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.” When viewed through the lens of God’s perfect love and eternal purposes, even the most challenging scriptural accounts can lead us to deeper faith, humility, and trust in Him.

• “What If I Struggle with All the Violence in the Scriptures?,” New Era, March 2019, 43.

• Topics and Questions, “Religion vs. Violence,” Gospel Library.