“Show No Mercy!” — Understanding God’s Justice, Judgment, and Mercy in the Old Testament

Feb 2

Few accusations against the Bible are as emotionally charged—or as frequently repeated—as the claim that the Old Testament portrays God as cruel, violent, or even genocidal. Popular critics such as Richard Dawkins have gone so far as to describe the God of the Old Testament as morally monstrous, contrasting Him with the God of love revealed in the New Testament.

In his sermon “Show No Mercy!”, Vance Stinson addresses this challenge head-on, examining the biblical texts most often cited by critics and placing them within their proper historical, literary, and theological context. Rather than avoiding the difficult passages, this message confronts them honestly, demonstrating that a careful reading of Scripture reveals not a contradiction in God’s character, but a coherent and morally serious divine plan.

The Charge of Genocide in the Old Testament

Passages in Deuteronomy, Joshua, and 1 Samuel contain strong language commanding Israel to “devote to destruction” certain nations inhabiting the land of Canaan. On the surface, phrases such as “leave alive nothing that breathes” sound like indiscriminate slaughter. Critics argue that such commands amount to ethnic cleansing or genocide.

However, Stinson explains that reading these texts without historical context leads to misunderstanding. The Bible itself shows that the displacement of the Canaanites did not occur in a single, sweeping act of destruction. Instead, Scripture repeatedly emphasizes that the nations were driven out “little by little” over an extended period of time. Many inhabitants fled long before Israel’s armies arrived, while others remained and coexisted among the Israelites for generations.

The biblical record itself confirms this gradual process. Even after Joshua’s campaigns, entire populations of Canaanites are described as still living in the land. This reality alone demonstrates that the conquest narratives cannot be read as literal accounts of total annihilation.

Ancient Warfare Language and Hyperbole

Another key insight involves the way ancient Near Eastern cultures described military victories. Stinson notes that biblical authors used conventional war rhetoric common to their time—language filled with hyperbole and exaggeration. Just as modern fans say a football team was “destroyed” or “annihilated” without meaning literal death, ancient texts used absolute language to describe decisive victory, not total extermination.

Archaeological and literary evidence from surrounding cultures confirms that such expressions were standard idioms, even when civilian populations were not present. Recognizing this literary convention helps clarify why Scripture can describe total destruction while simultaneously acknowledging surviving populations elsewhere in the text.

Why Judgment Came at All

The sermon also addresses a question often ignored by critics: Why did God judge the Canaanites in the first place? Scripture makes clear that Israel did not receive the land because of its own righteousness. Rather, judgment fell because the moral corruption of Canaanite society had reached an extreme level.

Biblical descriptions in Leviticus and Deuteronomy reveal a culture steeped in violent idolatry, sexual exploitation, and even the ritual sacrifice of children. God delayed judgment for centuries, allowing time for repentance, but eventually acted to prevent the spread of practices that would corrupt Israel and devastate future generations.

Importantly, this judgment was not racial or ethnic. It was moral. Scripture consistently shows that when Israel adopted the same practices, they too faced judgment and exile.

One God, One Character

Some theologians have attempted to resolve the tension by distancing the God of the Old Testament from Jesus Christ, suggesting a radical discontinuity between the two. Stinson firmly rejects this approach, showing that Jesus did not abolish or repudiate the Old Testament but clarified its meaning.

The law of love, often thought to be uniquely New Testament teaching, is rooted directly in the Torah itself. Jesus affirmed that the greatest commandments—to love God and love neighbor—came from Moses. Rather than replacing the Old Testament, Christ revealed its true intent and depth.

The Wide Hope of Salvation

Perhaps the most powerful element of the sermon is its emphasis on what Stinson calls the wide hope of salvation. Many struggle to reconcile God’s justice with human suffering because they assume this life is humanity’s only opportunity for redemption. Scripture, however, paints a far more hopeful picture.

God’s plan extends beyond this present age. Those who lived and died without knowledge or understanding of God will yet have an opportunity to respond to Him. In this light, divine judgment is neither arbitrary nor cruel, but part of a long-term redemptive purpose that ultimately reflects God’s mercy, patience, and love for all humanity.

Seeing the Bigger Picture

“Show No Mercy!” challenges listeners to move beyond surface readings and modern assumptions, urging a deeper engagement with Scripture as a unified whole. When read carefully, the Bible does not present two different gods—one harsh and one loving—but one God whose justice and mercy work together in perfect harmony.

What may appear at first glance to be brutality is, in fact, measured judgment within a broader plan of redemption—one that culminates in restoration, not destruction.

In the end, the sermon reminds us that God’s ways are higher than ours, and His purposes far more comprehensive than a single moment in history. Far from undermining faith, these difficult passages, when properly understood, reveal a God who takes evil seriously while still offering hope to the world He created.

Watch the sermon now:

Jeff Reed