Is God Evil?
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A common way to attack God and the Bible is to claim the God of the Old Testament was wicked and and evil, and the God of the New Testament was a God of love. Two different gods who are inconsistent. Hosea 13:16 is often used to show God commands the killing of babies.
But it's the same God in both the Old and New Testaments and God does not change. What was happening is that Hosea 13:16 shows what happens when people reject God, and He withdraws, giving them what they wanted. Here is what Hosea 13:16 says:
"Samaria will be held guilty,
For she has rebelled against her God.
They will fall by the sword,
Their little ones will be dashed in pieces,
And their pregnant women will be ripped open." - Hosea 13:16
There is no command. In Hosea God is describing what will happen when Assyria invades. To know what God is doing you need to understand God's wrath. His wrath is not like Zeus sitting in the sky and throwing thunderbolts at people who do not please him. What is called God's wrath is God withdrawing from those who are under His wrath. As He withdraws what will happen, naturally starts to happen... and it's not good. Why? Here is what Colossian 1:16-17 says about Jesus (God):
For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
When God stops holding things together, what happens? Things come apart. Morals. Culture. As well as physical things. In the case of Hosea 13:16, without God's protection the Assyrias will invade and very bad things will happen, such as babies being killed by the Assyrians (they were vicious). What is important to understand is that we live in a totally corrupt world. It does not appear to us to be corrupt because God is restraining evil and holding everything together. Everything that is good comes from God. EVERYTHING. When God stops restraining evil, things start getting bad (and irrational), just as we are seeing happening in our world today. That is God's wrath. God's wrath is His leaving us on our own, and that means we have nothing good.
Fortunately God does not immediately and fully separate from us. We have turned away from God and are under His wrath today. But, it's not His full wrath. He is still providing many good things. But the day will come when He His patience with us ends. It is called judgment day. He will separate those who want to be with Him (Christians who believe, repent and trust Jesus alone), from those who reject Him. (Is that you>).
By the way, Jesus is the God of the Old Testament and the New Testament... when in the New Testament Jesus gives the greatest commandment:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets (meaning the whole Old Testament)
...Jesus is quoting the Old Testament! It says: -- You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. - Deuteronomy 6:5. And Leviticus 19:18 says - "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Nothing has changed from the Old Testament to the New Testament.
Cruelty In The Bible? Hosea 13:16 (Science Pastor)
Dashing Babies Against The Rocks (Psalm 137:9) (GotQuestions.org Article)
Many people, when they die, will stand before Jesus and say:
Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? - Matthew 7:22
And Jesus will say to them:
I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness. - Matthew 7:23
Get your Bible out and read Matthew 7:21-23. These are some of the most frightening verses in the Bible.
They describe people who believe with all their heart that they are saved. They have no doubt that they know Jesus and they've done many great things that prove this is true. Put Jesus says, 'Depart from me...' He doesn't know them.
Are you truly trusting Jesus? Scripture says to examine yourself to see if you are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). Have you done that?
Do you read your Bible regularly? Do you fear false teaching? Are you growing in your obedience to God? Are you growing in your understanding of what God wants? Do you regularly share the good news about Jesus with others?