September 11, 2001
Here are examples of the death of literally thousands of lives in the
scriptures when God punished the Israelites. Each time, it was to purify His people
through His discipline, a not very appealing form of love.
If you want a god of love and mercy, you have one in the LORD. He is
also a God of judgment and justice, and other attributes. If we can show various
characteristics, why can't the maker of the Universe also do this?
If all you want is the love and mercy part, consider how good that would
be for those who put this diabolical plot together! They deserve no mercy.
Yes, Lord, we need all your attributes! You are worthy of Praise! It is great
to know that You will insure justice.
Please, no more deaths. The World Trade Center and the Pentagon and a field in
Pennsylvania, no more. May their deaths not be in vain. Let us repent now so
we will have God on our side when the battles rage. That is the only way, if God
will listen our pleas.
Exodus 32:27 Then he said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of
Israel, says: `Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from
one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.'" 28 The
Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died.
Judges 20:21 The Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down twenty-two thousand Israelites
on the battlefield that day. 22 But the men of Israel encouraged one another and again
took up their positions where they had stationed themselves the first day. 23 The
Israelites went up and wept before the LORD until evening, and they inquired of the LORD.
They said, "Shall we go up again to battle against the Benjamites, our
brothers?" The LORD answered, "Go up against them." ...
25 This time, when the Benjamites came out from Gibeah to oppose them, they cut down
another eighteen thousand Israelites, all of them armed with swords. ...
34 Then ten thousand of Israel's finest men made a frontal attack on Gibeah. The fighting
was so heavy that the Benjamites did not realize how near disaster was....
45 As they turned and fled toward the desert to the rock of Rimmon, the Israelites cut
down five thousand men along the roads. They kept pressing after the Benjamites as far as
Gidom and struck down two thousand more. 46 On that day twenty-five thousand Benjamite
swordsmen fell, all of them valiant fighters....
21:10 So the assembly sent twelve thousand fighting men with instructions to go to Jabesh
Gilead and put to the sword those living there, including the women and children. 11
"This is what you are to do," they said. "Kill every male and every woman
who is not a virgin."
1 Samuel 3:10 The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel!
Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." 11 And
the LORD said to Samuel: "See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make
the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle. 12 At that time I will carry out against Eli
everything I spoke against his family--from beginning to end. 13 For I told him that I
would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves
contemptible, and he failed to restrain them...
4:2 The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel
was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the
battlefield. 3 When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, "Why
did the LORD bring defeat upon us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of
the LORD's covenant from Shiloh, so that it may go with us and save us from the hand of
our enemies." ...
10 So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his
tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 The ark
of God was captured, and Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
2 Kings 19:35 That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and
eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next
morning--there were all the dead bodies!
1 Chronicles 21:2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, "Go and
count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how
many there are." 3 But Joab replied, "May the LORD multiply his troops a hundred
times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord's subjects? Why does my lord want
to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?" ...
5 Joab reported the number of the fighting men to David: In all Israel there were one
million one hundred thousand men who could handle a sword, including four hundred and
seventy thousand in Judah. 6 But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering,
because the king's command was repulsive to him. 7 This command was also evil in the sight
of God; so he punished Israel. 8 Then David said to God, "I have sinned greatly by
doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very
foolish thing." 9 The LORD said to Gad, David's seer, 10 "Go and tell David,
`This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to
carry out against you.'" 11 So Gad went to David and said to him, "This is what
the LORD says: `Take your choice: 12 three years of famine, three months of being swept
away before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you, or three days of the sword of
the LORD--days of plague in the land, with the angel of the LORD ravaging every part of
Israel.' Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me." 13 David said to
Gad, "I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is
very great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men." 14 So the LORD sent a
plague on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead. 15 And God sent an angel
to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it and was grieved
because of the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, "Enough!
Withdraw your hand." The angel of the LORD was then standing at the threshing floor
of Araunah the Jebusite. 16 David looked up and saw the angel of the LORD standing between
heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem. Then David and
the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown. 17 David said to God, "Was it not I
who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I am the one who has sinned and done wrong.
These are but sheep. What have they done? O LORD my God, let your hand fall upon me and my
family, but do not let this plague remain on your people."
Amos 5:3 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "The city that marches out a thousand
strong for Israel will have only a hundred left; the town that marches out a hundred
strong will have only ten left."
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In the exodus from Egpt, 35 soldiers died in the first attempt at conquoring Ai because of
the sin of one man.
In the exodus, there is a time when the earth swallows up very many
Israelites who had strayed.
Deuteronomy 11:5 It was not your children who saw what
he did for you in the desert until you arrived at this place, 6 and what he did to Dathan
and Abiram, sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth right in the
middle of all Israel and swallowed them up with their households, their tents and every
living thing that belonged to them.
History records the evil king Jehoaichin and Israelites were punished for
their sins by God. He used Babylon to kill and enslave the people (~50,000 died).
The people then repented, and God heard their cries. He restored them to
their land and they rebuilt the temple. God takes credit for punishing them.
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