Leviticus 2:24-34 “Set out now and cross the Arnon Gorge. See, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle. This very day I will begin to put the terror and fear of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you.”
From the desert of Kedemoth I sent messengers to Sihon king of Heshbon offering peace and saying, “Let us pass through your country. We will stay on the main road; we will not turn aside to the right or to the left. Sell us food to eat and water to drink for their price in silver. Only let us pass through on foot- as the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, and the Moabites, who live in Ar, did for us—until we cross the Jordan into the land the LORD our God is giving us.” But Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to give him into your hands, as he has now done.
The LORD said to me, “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.”
When Sihon and all his army came out to meet us in battle at Jahaz, the LORD our God delivered him over to us and we struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army. At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyed them — men, women and children. We left no survivors.
PERSONAL COMMENTARY
I’m seeing a pattern here. God hardens the heart of someone then proceeds to punish them by killing them. Where is the justice in this?
“Pattern” indeed. Things like that are common throughout the Bible. Just think of Jesus’s sermon where he says that even if you look at a woman with desire, you’re committing a sin. Now that’s impossible to comply with if you’re a healthy male. That’s biology. You don’t have to act on it, of course, but you will feel sexual attraction. How can you be punished for doing things you have no control over?
And the list goes on.
Overall his sermon is useless. “Thy shalt not kill”
What about to protect lives of your family and your own, what about to defend your country?
How can anyone make such a broad and therefore incorrect statement. The only thing that’s achieved by it is confusion and hordes of people saying that they know what He meant and “the context is everything” Any half-wit would be more precise and to the point.
There isn’t even a 24th verse of leviticus 2. You mean Deuteronomy.