The Justice of God

[famdigy]

Do Christians believe in the Justice of God, that God is Just, and He doesn’t oppress or does wrong to any living being? and is this a fundamental principle of God’s attribute in Christianity?

The second question, how do you reconcile your belief in the Divine Justice of God with the following passages from the OT.

Ezekiel 9:5-6 “As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion.
6 Slaughter old men, young men and maidens, women and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were in front of the temple.”

1 Samuel 15:3 "Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ "

From the above passages, what is the crime committed by the Children and Infants that prompted god’s order to slay them.

 

[Eucharisted]

Justice means three things: Righteousness, Truth, and Knowledge. God is All-Just. He can do all the good in the world and He can do no wrong, He is the Truth Itself, and He knows all things. Because He is Justice Itself, nothing can withstand Him.

 

[famdigy]

He can do all the good in the world and He can do no wrong

Are you saying it’s not unjust or wrong to order the slaughtering of old men, young men, women, children and infants?

 

[FCEGM]

Do Christians believe in the Justice of God, that God is Just, and He doesn’t oppress or does wrong to any living being? and is this a fundamental principle of God’s attribute in Christianity?

The second question, how do you reconcile your belief in the Divine Justice of God with the following passages from the OT.

Ezekiel 9:5-6 “As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion.
6 Slaughter old men, young men and maidens, women and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were in front of the temple.”

1 Samuel 15:3 "Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ "

From the above passages, what is the crime committed by the Children and Infants that prompted god’s order to slay them.

Yes, God is absolutely Just and Merciful.

Regarding the passages you question, this from a previous thread might help you:

When reading of such events there are important things to remember:

1. God is the Lord of Life and History and has the right to take life since He gave it; others don’t have that right, but He does, always has and always will.
2. Although He did not intend death (it comes as a result of Original Sin, which He permits), He inflicts it or permits it to further His Plan of Salvation for all and each.
3. This reveals that death is not the greatest evil, but sin is.
4. It also reveals that God inflicts or permits it, for a higher purpose or greater good – which comes out later, and is supernatural.
5. When He orders the destruction of His people’s enemies God, of course, eternally knows His Plan of Redemption in His Son. It is in view of that that He orders the such events; and it is view of that that the innocent who are killed by the Israelites will be saved.
6. The enemies of God’s people who are destroyed are also real symbols of evil and sin which Christ destroys at His Sacrifice (applied at Baptism) and of the vices of concupiscence to be overcome by active cooperation with the grace of God in the spiritual life, and the final defeat of ALL the powers of evil and sin at the end of the world. All those things are known by God when He commands such destruction and are spiritual meanings not known by the human writer, who, btw, is usually writing many years after the described event. This is especially true with the events of the Old Testament since the Hebrews had no thought of intermediate causes, but saw events only as the direct action or command of God.

Yes, from the human perspective it at first glance it can seem like God is the bad guy; a deeper consideration of theology reveals that God’s Mercy and Justice together are infinitely higher Love than man’s reason can guess, and that we cannot water down its fierceness into a bourgeois sense of being nice. “Love is stronger than death.”

 

[Eucharisted]

What FCGEM is correct. Just to add to it: forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=5302522&postcount=1

And if you really want to read a book full of injustice, than read the Qu’ran.

 

[famdigy]

Yes, God is absolutely Just and Merciful.

The statement above is contrary to what is written in Ezikel 9:5 where god commands “…and kill, without showing pity or compassion” Most people would agree that one who orders to kill without showing pity or compassion for old men, women, and children, can not be said to be merciful and just.

1. Although He did not intend death (it comes as a result of Original Sin, which He permits), He inflicts it or permits it to further His Plan of Salvation for all and each.

I don’t understand what you mean here and how it relates to Ezikel 9:5, specifically to order given “kill without showing pity or compassion”

1. It also reveals that God inflicts or permits it, for a higher purpose or greater good – which comes out later, and is supernatural.

What is the greater good which came out of the killing of old men, women and children? Do you mean it in the sense there would be less pagans or unbelievers in the world, therefore it’s good?

1. When He orders the destruction of His people’s enemies God, of course, eternally knows His Plan of Redemption in His Son. It is in view of that that He orders the such events; and it is view of that that the innocent who are killed by the Israelites will be saved.

This is the same argument Muslim terrorists use, they believe that it’s OK to kill innocents because they are innocent and will go to heaven anyway (at least the children)

1. The enemies of God’s people who are destroyed are also real symbols of evil and sin

How are children evil? and are you referring to the original sin? therefore killing children is justified because they carry the original sin?

 

[katy_kt]

God created life, and thus he has to right to take it away. When God ordered them to kill, he can not tell them to kill ‘**with **compassion and pity’ because that would not make any sense.

Why would he allow the killing of women and children? Because he created them and can decide when to take their life away. Its the same as when there is a calamity and women and children die. There are also many children who die at a young age due to an illness. I am sure that their loved ones constantly questions God about what that child did to deserve this. From an objective perspective, God isn’t being unjust and not compassionate because he allows the ‘weak’ to suffer, and children be subject to unfortunate circumstances.

God is just because he judges with fairness. He doesn’t play favorites just because you are male, female, an adult, a child, of one religion or another or not of any.

God is merciful because if we ask for forgiveness, he willingly gives it to us and doesn’t let our past repented sins effect him.

Neither of the two passages conflict which him being just and compassionate.

I find it amusing that you think that he is being unjust and not compassionate because he included women and children. Why killing men be okay, but women and children not? I am sure that there were men did not commit the ‘crime’ and women especially wives who had an influence on their husband to commit the ‘crime’.

 

[Podo2005]

Do Christians believe in the Justice of God, that God is Just, and He doesn’t oppress or does wrong to any living being? and is this a fundamental principle of God’s attribute in Christianity?

The second question, how do you reconcile your belief in the Divine Justice of God with the following passages from the OT.

Ezekiel 9:5-6 “As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion.
6 Slaughter old men, young men and maidens, women and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were in front of the temple.”

1 Samuel 15:3 "Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ "

From the above passages, what is the crime committed by the Children and Infants that prompted god’s order to slay them.

Its easy to take random quotes out of the Bible without having any clue as to what they are referring to. It is Justice for a bad man to reap what he sows (i.e. to get punished). Those “innocent” people were idolaters!

Ezekiel 9:8-9
“As they began to strike, I was left alone. I fell prone, crying out, " Alas Lord God! Will you destroy all that is left of Israel when you pour out your fury on Jerusalem?” He answered me: The SINS of the house of Israel are great beyond measure;the land is filled with bloodshed, the city with LAWLESSNESS"

To quote St Paul in his letter to the Romans (Romans 6:23)
“For the wages of sin is DEATH, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”

Think about it logically, a person who constantly indulges in sin will destroy his body and soul. He will suffer the “wrath” of God because he has turned himself(by his sins) into something alien to the will of God, something evil and filthy. Now Justice is the virtue that pays each man according to his deeds. It is simply “fairness” (i.e. Good guys get rewarded, bad guys get punished)

As for the children/infants, they are sinners themselves ( this is the Christian Doctrine known as Original Sin, which is that men fell into sin and depravity and that it has spread to all generations)

Of course this doesnt mean we are to go out and kill people, for this is contrary to the will of God and besides we are told not to judge. How can we judge anyways, being mere human beings?

Zachary

 

[rosetaylor01]

This paper is concerned about the justice of God, as viewed by the Bible. The Bible talks about the justice and righteousness of God in many places. One example is in Isaiah.

Isasah 45:18.: For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: "I am the LORD, and there is no other. 19. ... I, the LORD, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right. 21. ... there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me. NKJV

This passage makes a number of claims relating to God. The first is that it was God who created the heavens and the earth. This places a claim of ownership of the earth and that he has a supreme power over it. Of course anyone can make this claim about themself, so it’s validity has to be determined by the reliability of the Bible. This aspect is not to be considered here, and the assumption is made the the Bible is a reliable source.

Not only did the God form the earth, but it was also created with a particular purpose. In Isaiah it was said that he “formed it to be inhabited”. It is against this background that humans were created on Earth. We were part of a creation which took place to fulfill the purpose of God.

In verse 19, there is the claim that God speaks righteousness, and declares things that are right. He is then further described as a “just God”. It takes some thought to see the full significance of these statements. In some ways it is speaking the obvious, but in others it asks fundamental questions about what it really means to be just or righteous.

In the original context of this statement, people commonly believed in multiple Gods. In that case, some Gods were considered to be better and more just than others. This passage was claiming that the true God was the only God, and as well as that, was a just God. At this point it may be worth posing the question of what defines a just and righteous God. This is not really clear, because it means judging the standards of the creator against the standards of the creature. To some extent, this is the fundamental conundrum when considering the justice of God

 

[Sam_777]

Ezekiel 9:5-6 “As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion.
6 Slaughter old men, young men and maidens, women and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were in front of the temple.”

Reason:
(Ezekiel 9:9-10):
“He answered me, "The sin of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice. They say, ‘The LORD has forsaken the land; the LORD does not see.’ So I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.”

1 Samuel 15:3 "Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ "

Reason:
(1 Samuel 15:2):
“This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt.”

Beside Allah in Islam is acting in the same way :
(Quran 47:4):
“Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight), smite at their necks; at length, when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly (on them): thereafter (is the time for) either generosity or ransom: until the war lays down its burdens. Thus (are ye commanded): but if it had been Allah’s Will, He could certainly have exacted retribution from them (Himself); but (He lets you fight) in order to test you, some with others. But those who are slain in the way of Allah, He will never let their deeds be lost.”

(Quran 9:5):
" But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

(Quran 9:29):
" Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the Religion of Truth, from among the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued"

(Quran 3:151):
" Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority; their abode will be the Fire; and evil is the home of the wrong-doers!"

(Quran 09:73):
" O Prophet! strive hard against the Unbelievers and the Hypocrites, and be firm against them. Their abode is Hell, an evil refuge indeed."

 

[peary2]

Do Christians believe in the Justice of God, that God is Just, and He doesn’t oppress or does wrong to any living being? and is this a fundamental principle of God’s attribute in Christianity?

The second question, how do you reconcile your belief in the Divine Justice of God with the following passages from the OT.

Ezekiel 9:5-6 “As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion.
6 Slaughter old men, young men and maidens, women and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were in front of the temple.”

1 Samuel 15:3 "Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ "

From the above passages, what is the crime committed by the Children and Infants that prompted god’s order to slay them.

Christians are of the NEW Testament, not of the old. Through Jesus Christ the clarification of God occurs. It is all summed up in Christ’s command: “Love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12) You must weigh this command with everything written in the OT.

 

[Selene]

The statement above is contrary to what is written in Ezikel 9:5 where god commands “…and kill, without showing pity or compassion” Most people would agree that one who orders to kill without showing pity or compassion for old men, women, and children, can not be said to be merciful and just.

Hello Famdigy,

It is so easy to blame God for wars caused by the greed of human beings. The God we believe in is merciful and just. It was man who caused wars, not God. It was man who killed innocents, not God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says “in order to discover the sacred authors’ intention, the reader must take into account the conditions of their time and culture, the literary genres in use at that time, and the modes of feeling, speaking, and narrating then current” (CCC 110).

Whenever an invasion occurs, ancient people believe that they have angered God because of their sin, so it was natural for the author to think that God sent those invaders to kill them. Even the pagans believe this, and in order to appease their gods, the pagans would sacrifice some peace offerings to them. The Israelites did the same, but God did not care for sacrifices (See 1 Samuel 15:22, Isaiah 1:11, Mark 12:33, and Hebrews 10:6) God only wanted the Israelites to follow His Commandments and to know Him. Ancient people thought that they could win favor and good will with their gods through sacrifices and burnt offerings. The ancient Isarelites were also similar because they didn’t really understand the one true God. The one true God never really cared for sacrifices and burnt offerings as shown in the First Book of Samuel, the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, the Gosepl of Mark and the Letter to the Hebrews. What God really desired was for the Israelites to come to know Him and love Him just as He knows and love them. God hated sin, but He had always loved the sinners. He loved the people of Israel even when they were sinners.

The God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the New Testament. In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself through the Israelites in the way they knew. God was telling the Israelites of His plan of salvation for them and the world. His plan of salvation was written in their history.

Peace be with you,
Selene

 

[rtconstant]

Do Christians believe in the Justice of God, that God is Just, and He doesn’t oppress or does wrong to any living being? and is this a fundamental principle of God’s attribute in Christianity?

The second question, how do you reconcile your belief in the Divine Justice of God with the following passages from the OT.

Ezekiel 9:5-6 “As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion.
6 Slaughter old men, young men and maidens, women and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were in front of the temple.”

1 Samuel 15:3 "Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ "

From the above passages, what is the crime committed by the Children and Infants that prompted god’s order to slay them.

Famdigy,

I think that this is an issue of perspective. First I think that it is important to remember that since God has giving free will to humanity, often times our actions take us places that he doesn’t want us to go. I doubt you would argue that. We humans can really mess things up. Sometimes we put ourselves into scenarios were that the only reactions or messages that will make an impact are highly dramatic.

Take our history with war for example. I think we’d all agree that most conflicts in history were avoidable if the underlying problems had been dealt with early and with compassion. But often humanity ignores problems when their fixable, and waits until something must be done and often the only response left is violent. God doesn’t force us into these situations but because He allows us to make our own decisions He often has to work within confines of the situations we’ve created.

That said when we hear about violence and death we very appropriately recoil with horror. However, we look at things a lot different than God. Again I doubt you’d disagree. For us death is mystery. Even for the religious amongst us, we take it on faith that there is something better out there. Also, we don’t like to lose our loved ones, so death can be frightening because we can’t see what’ s beyond it, and we don’t want to lose the one’s we love. However, God is eternal. So death logically speaking isn’t quiet as traumatizing for Him. He knows what lies beyond and indeed for God, there really is no death. All life is eternal. It just takes on a different form, and has different stages.

 

[tomarin]

It is so easy to blame God for wars caused by the greed of human beings. The God we believe in is merciful and just. It was man who caused wars, not God. It was man who killed innocents, not God.

I thought that when Joshua laid siege to Jericho and destroyed it and all of its inhabitants, it was with God’s blessing and encouragement. Do you have a different understanding of that Bible story?

Also, not to be snarky, but God kills “innocents” all the time in the OT. The Egyptian first-born, Job’s children and other family members, the aforementioned civilian population of Jericho … the list goes on and on.

 

[Selene]

I thought that when Joshua laid siege to Jericho and destroyed it and all of its inhabitants, it was with God’s blessing and encouragement. Do you have a different understanding of that Bible story?

Also, not to be snarky, but God kills “innocents” all the time in the OT. The Egyptian first-born, Job’s children and other family members, the aforementioned civilian population of Jericho … the list goes on and on.

Hello Tomarin,

God does not need human beings to punish other human beings for their sins. However, He does allow wars to happen because he values the free will of all His creatures. If God wanted to punish wickedness, he would use water such as what He did in the flood or He would use fire just as He did with Sodom and Gomorrah. The entire message of the story of the flood and Sodom and Gomorrah is simply saying that unrepentent wickedness will be punished, and those who follow God will be saved. As you will notice in the flood story and in Sodom and Gomorrah, the sacred authors emphasized that everyone killed was wicked because they wanted to let the reader know that God would only punish the wicked.

God is not a killer of innocents (See Genesis 18:16-32). The inspired authors of the Bible sent us a message of God’s plan of salvation and a foreshadow of things to come. The Egpytian first-born was a foreshadow to the New Testament showing King Herod’s slaughter of innocent children. Job’s children and family members were killed by Satan, but God allowed it to happen for a reason, and all the wars in the Old Testament were caused by humans, but God allowed it to happen. God values the freedom of man and allows man to make choices of their own. However, God also used our choice to do bad even to carry out His plan of salvation because only God has the power to bring a good from the consequences of an evil. From the greatest moral evil ever committed - the rejection and murder of God’s only Son, caused by the sins of all men - God brought the greatest of goods: the glorification of Christ and our redemption. However, evil never becomes a good. (CCC 312).

Peace be with you,
Selene

 

[Selene]

Oops! I made an error in my last post. I was supposed to say that the first-born deaths in Egypt is a foreshadow of the first-fruits dedicated to God. The Lord has a right to the first-fruits of life (Genesis 22:2), and the first-born is to be redeemed. The day came when Jesus, the first-fruits of humanity, offered Himself to the Father through the hands of Mary (Luke 2:22-24).

 

[Reuben_J]

That said when we hear about violence and death we very appropriately recoil with horror. However, we look at things a lot different than God. Again I doubt you’d disagree. For us death is mystery. Even for the religious amongst us, we take it on faith that there is something better out there. Also, we don’t like to lose our loved ones, so death can be frightening because we can’t see what’ s beyond it, and we don’t want to lose the one’s we love. However, God is eternal. So death logically speaking isn’t quiet as traumatizing for Him. He knows what lies beyond and indeed for God, there really is no death. All life is eternal. It just takes on a different form, and has different stages.

How true. The OP is seeking Christian’s explanation on the justice of God which he has problem in reconciling it with the killing verses in Ezekiel 15 and 1 Samuel 5 .

As for the OP, famidgy, I would like to draw your attention to some of the explanations by some posters here which are relevant and may answer your question about the justice of God in Christians’ understanding.

Rosetaylor01:

At this point it may be worth posing the question of what defines a just and righteous God. This is not really clear, because it means judging the standards of the creator against the standards of the creature. To some extent, this is the fundamental conundrum when considering the justice of God.

FCEGM:

All those things are known by God when He commands such destruction and are spiritual meanings not known by the human writer, who, btw, is usually writing many years after the described event. This is especially true with the events of the Old Testament since the Hebrews had no thought of intermediate causes, but saw events only as the direct action or command of God.

Peary2:

The God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the New Testament. In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself through the Israelites in the way they knew. God was telling the Israelites of His plan of salvation for them and the world. His plan of salvation was written in their history.

You may not agree with this as this is purely Christianity concept but I wish to add that God’s justice all began with his plan for salvation of humankind to bring them back to his presence as when he first created them. This began with the creation and when Adam fall because of disobedience and sin.

You see unlike Islam, in Christianity, God act through the history of him and his people. In other word, he works for the bigger picture which very often we human are unable to see. Otherwise how can you explain then that there were good people being killed in natural disaster like tsunami and earthquake?

There were Christians who were martyred because of their belief in God. They were killed and knew they would be killed because they did not want to forsake their religion. Not mention diseases and plagues that consume evil and good people alike.

Thus physical death is not the parameter for God’s justice. Christians are taught that they are merely ‘permanent residence’ on this earth and that their real citizenship is in heaven.

Therefore God’s justice does not end on earth but at the last judgment. If we want to question his justice it will have to be brought up there with him. Challenge him why he convicts you to hell if you have done all that is required for eternal life. Of course we know he is a just God, he will not waver in his justice.

However for God to be just he has to operate within his own law otherwise where would be the justice? God being the truth he has to be true to himself. Like secular government, if the law says that one should pay when committing a particular traffic offence, the judge simply cannot set the offender free unless the fine is paid. It does not matter from where the money comes from but the fine must be paid before he is let off the hook. Similarly with God, the price must be paid for sin.

The price of sin is death – this death is the absence of eternal life. In other word God justice demands that if you sin you would go to hell; if you don’t you will go to heaven. Who knows, those innocent women and children that were being killed in Ezekiel 15 and 1 Samuel 5, they might just go to heaven like the Christian martyrs and all good people who died in similar circumstances, which is certainly much better for them.

But you see, God works for the bigger picture and true to his promise as being prophesized, culminating in the coming of his son, Jesus Christ.

 

[rosetaylor01]

This paper is concerned about the justice of God, as viewed by the Bible. The Bible talks about the justice and righteousness of God in many places. One example is in Isaiah.

Isasah 45:18.: For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: "I am the LORD, and there is no other. 19. ... I, the LORD, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right. 21. ... there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me. NKJV

This passage makes a number of claims relating to God. The first is that it was God who created the heavens and the earth. This places a claim of ownership of the earth and that he has a supreme power over it. Of course anyone can make this claim about themself, so it’s validity has to be determined by the reliability of the Bible. This aspect is not to be considered here, and the assumption is made the the Bible is a reliable source.

Not only did the God form the earth, but it was also created with a particular purpose. In Isaiah it was said that he “formed it to be inhabited”. It is against this background that humans were created on Earth. We were part of a creation which took place to fulfill the purpose of God.

In verse 19, there is the claim that God speaks righteousness, and declares things that are right. He is then further described as a “just God”. It takes some thought to see the full significance of these statements. In some ways it is speaking the obvious, but in others it asks fundamental questions about what it really means to be just or righteous.

In the original context of this statement, people commonly believed in multiple Gods. In that case, some Gods were considered to be better and more just than others. This passage was claiming that the true God was the only God, and as well as that, was a just God. At this point it may be worth posing the question of what defines a just and righteous God. This is not really clear, because it means judging the standards of the creator against the standards of the creature. To some extent, this is the fundamental conundrum when considering the justice of God

 

[tomarin]

Oops! I made an error in my last post. I was supposed to say that the first-born deaths in Egypt is a foreshadow of the first-fruits dedicated to God. The Lord has a right to the first-fruits of life (Genesis 22:2), and the first-born is to be redeemed. The day came when Jesus, the first-fruits of humanity, offered Himself to the Father through the hands of Mary (Luke 2:22-24).

Cold comfort to the Egyptian parents of said first-born, I should think.

 

[Selene]

Cold comfort to the Egyptian parents of said first-born, I should think.

Hello Tomarin,

I agree. However, as Catholics, we don’t take the Bible literally. According to the footnotes in my Catholic Bible, “Most of the ten plagues of Egypt seem to be similar to certain natural phenomena of that country; but they were supernatural at least in their greater intensity and in their occurring exactly according to Moses’ commands.” However, the footnotes did not say which ones were the natural phenomena. It is possible that not all ten plagues occurred in Egypt, and that the sacred author added ones that came only from God because God had a message to tell us about Himself or a prophecy that was to come.

For example, the sacred author who wrote Genesis Chapter 1 of the 7 day creation was not even a witness to the creation to the world. God’s message in the 7 day creation was not to tell the people that God created everything in 7 days. The real message of the 7 day creation has to do with the Sabbath, which is the heart of Judaism (see Exodus 20:8-11). Thus, the 7 day creation in Genesis really has nothing to do with God creating everything in 7 days. It was God message fortelling the Sabbath, which was to come. It was also a message saying that God created everything. How long He created them was irrelevant. The number 7 days was simply put there because it foretold the Jewish Sabbath. Therefore, it is possible that the tenth plague may not have occurred at all. It may have an added thing the sacred put down because it was a message from the Lord fortelling about Jesus as the first-born.

Peace be with you,
Selene