Reading our Bibles regularly can be a challenge, but we're all on this journey together.

We're praying that this podcast inspires you, helps you better understand God's word, and builds your faith.

This is Join the Journey with your host, Emma Daughter.

Thanks for joining. Today, we're reading 2nd Kings 24 and 25, answering some unfortunately

very common questions that come up when studying the Old Testament. What's with all this

killing? Lots of death? How could a good God allow this? Or better said, is the God of the Old

Testament a moral monster?

Candidly, I think this type of question has been raised a lot more, more recently.

And because of this, today's episode will be a little bit longer.

At the time of this recording, we are in the middle of watching major conflict play out in Israel. And as discussed in the most recent Dear Watermark family

letter from our elders, we've watched in horror as a terrorist attack was carried out on Israel,

and a war has escalated to drastic proportions between Israel and Hamas.

As the letter continues, we read that hurt combined with hatred can lead to all sorts of evil. This is what we saw transpire

in Hamas' attack on Israel. Decades of hurt combined with deep-rooted hate produced a level of

depravity that is hard to stomach. The brutality expressed in the killing of innocent people of all

ages, as well as the force displayed in taking people hostage is evil.

We should call it that unapologetically. Evil is never justified.

Also, at the time of this writing, 1,400 Palestinians have died in Gaza with approximately

450 being children. This is also a tragedy. It may be tempting to believe the narrative that all

1400 of these Palestinians were terrorists and their deaths were quote-unquote deserved in some way.

This is an easy narrative to comprehend, and in times of great tragedy, confusion, and fear,

nuanced conversation is understandably difficult. But Watermark family, the letter continues,

...