Inspired: War Stories

1) "I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made" (Genesis 7:4). Though not a "war story", this is a troubling genocidal verse. Estimating the earth's population at that time yields a number from the 100 thousands to the millions. How could the "God of love" commit this atrocity? And this is only the first cleansing that occurs. As the Hebrews begin their conquest of the Promised Land city after city is destroyed. Why is this much death and destruction necessary for an all-powerful God?
2) For years I would just gloss over the hard parts. I would say, "Just because I don't understand it, that doesn't make it wrong or untrue." There are parts of the God of the Bible that are hard to accept. Are they who he really is, or have the authors made God into a war monger to justify their conquests?
3) For me it is hard to reconcile the wrath of God with the love of God. Are they different? Are they the same? This troubles me. But, I harken back to "God is like Jesus", Jesus is the perfect manifestation of God, and he chose to receive violence and hate rather than dispense it. So, I place my eternal trust in Jesus, and that he will reward my faith in him, despite my other doubts.
4) Revulsion. Forty years earlier, God "hardened the heart" of Pharaoh to not let the Hebrews go, resulting in yet another genocide of all Egyptian first-born males. How, or better, why, does God "harden hearts"? Verses like this are revolting and confusing. This is why many people refuse to believe in God (Old Testament (OT)) but embrace the message of Jesus (New Testament (NT)).
5) a) The men who try to steady the Ark from tipping are struck dead. b) Lot's wife is turned to salt for turning around to look at Sodom and Gomorrah. c) The man born blind just to reveal the glory of God (John 9). d) Ananias and his wife sold a piece of property and did not give all proceeds to the disciples, fell dead at Peter's feet when he confronted them (Acts 5).
6) The greatest justification is that all of creation is God's "sandbox." He can do with it as he pleases. God chose the Hebrews as his people, and promised them a homeland. The Hebrews had to conquer the land to make their own. Why? Couldn't God drive out the occupying peoples (famine?) without resorting to warfare? Why does God want them to fight, die, and kill?
7) I don't think I have doubted my faith, but I have felt closer to or further from God at certain points. Early in my post-Catholic faith journey I listened to many religious leaders who were very conservative (Billy Graham, Chuck Swindoll, BSF leaders). But over the last 20 years or so, I have broadened my view to include Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, Richard Rohr, and Marcus Borg. I now see more gray to faith than black and white.
8) "The Longest Day", "Saving Private Ryan", "Glory". It seems our war stories favor a "just war" approach. The Civil War was "justified" to end slavery. WW2 was "justified" to end fascism and Hitler. The Korean, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq wars are less, if not impossible, to justify. Yet we always paint ourselves as being "in the right". Humanity has always found a justification to fight. It just depends on the scale: backyard scuffle, local protest, civil war, regional conflict, or world war,
9) The most helpful for me is (3). The phrase "God is like Jesus" has been resonating in my mind. And if Jesus/God "would rather die by violence than commit it", then maybe the OT war stories are more about us and less about God. The OT author's "fingerprints" are maybe more "visible" as they justify their actions, and try to make sense of the circumstances they find themselves in. Also, (2). We need to remain humble about our own violent tendencies, and the current culture of militarism over diplomacy.