However, I disagree with this argument. God is not brutal and harsh in his punishments in the book of Genesis but is rather just and fair. His actions were called for and he always gave the people a chance to repent their sins and get back in the right. This paper looks at both sides of this argument.
God is Brutal and Harsh
At a first glance of the incidents that occurred in the book of Genesis and the punishments that God gave to the sinners, one may refer to God as a harsh God. One of the basis of this argument is that we are all part of God’s creation. God loved all his creation and that is why he asked Adam to look after it all. Man had a more special place with God as he was created in God’s own image and likeness (Genesis 1:26). How then does the Lord punish his most loved creation so brutally and harshly?
After creating Adam and Eve, God put them in the Garden of Eden. Here, he gave them permission to eat fruits from all the trees except from the tree of life (Genesis 2: 16-17). However, the serpent approached Eve and convinced Eve otherwise. It told Eve that God did not want them to eat from this tree because they would be as wise as God (Genesis 3:5). Eve ate the fruit and gave it to Adam. After eating the forbidden fruit, God increased the pain of childbearing in Eve and also cursed Adam to work endlessly in order to provide for his family. He thereafter banished them from the Garden of Eden. This seems harsh to both of them. The lord also cursed the earth to which Adam would toil and told him he would occasionally reap ‘thorns and thistles.’ He then said that as man was formed from the earth, he would return to it. Many may argue that there was no need for God to curse even the descendants of Adam and Eve as they were the only culprits in this case. They may see the punishment of Adam and Eve Justifiable but do not see the point of cursing their generations.
In the story of Noah, God is criticized for killing all the people on earth except the family of Noah. God had instructed Noah to build an Ark large enough to accommodate his family and male and female of all species in the world (Genesis 6: 14-16). The Lord thereafter sent heavy rains that flooded the whole world killing everyone and everything that was not in the Ark. This is seen as very harsh punishment especially because there were also children in the world. The killing of children who did not understand right or wrong or God’s commandments is seen as evil. The destruction of all other forms of life except the two of every species that were in the ark with Noah is also seen as dramatic. This is because the animals had nothing to do with the quarrel between God and man.
The story about the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) is another case scenario where the punishment God gave people has been criticized. After the great flood, Noah’s family continued to grow and multiply in number. The descendants had settled in a place called Shinar. At this time, all of them spoke one language. They were thriving and they one day decided to build a tall tower. The tower was to be very tall and is described in Genesis 11:4 as ‘reaching to the heavens.’ This was to serve two purposes. One was that it would be a symbol of how prosperous they had become and the second was that they would reach God. Once they reached the heavens, they would not require God anymore. On seeing this, God made all of them speak different languages. They were not able to understand each other and thus scattered all over the earth. Some people see this punishment as very severe. All these people were descendant of Noah and they lived together as one. Confusing their language and making them separate is viewed as very harsh.
God is Fair in His Punishments
The punishments that God gave Adam and Eve for their crimes were befitting. The disobedience was almost unexplainable as they had been given access to all the fruits in the garden except the fruits from only one of the trees. Each punishment that God gave them, however, fits the specific crime they had committed. The snake had tricked Eve into eating the fruit now it was cursed to eat dust and forever move on its belly. It had talked to Eve in a friendly manner but their generations were then cursed to forever be enemies. Whenever the descendants of the two were to meet, they were destined to fight.
When Adam and Eve realized their mistake, they hid (Genesis 3:8). When God asked them about what they had done, Adam put the blame on Eve. Eve had desired knowledge and wisdom that is why she accepted to eat the fruit. God cursed her to desire her husband even though she would experience a lot of pain in childbirth. The man had followed his wife’s advice, now he would rule over her. Adam had easily accepted the fruit, now he would have to sweat to provide for his family. The above sins and their respective punishments clearly show that the consequences were well thought out and the Lord only punished them for their transgressions.
In the case of Noah and the Great Flood, the punishment God gave human beings by wiping them all out becomes understandable when one sees what the people had done to deserve this. According to Genesis 6:5, the wickedness of man on earth had become so great that even his intentions and thoughts were also evil. He, however, did not destroy them immediately, he gave them time to change their ways. He even sent Noah to ask them to repent and follow the right path. They, however, did not heed his call. God had offered them salvation through Noah’s Ark but they chose not to board it. Therefore, man’s evil ways and the refusal of redemption through Noah was the cause of his demise. His demise was not caused by God’s brutality. In fact, God can be described as merciful through his provision of a means of redemption.
In the story of the tower of Babel, the people had developed pride and arrogance. They thought that all the success they had achieved was by their own doing. They wanted to show off how much they had achieved. They also believed that they would not need God anymore once they reached the heavens. The punishment God gave them was as in the case of all the other Genesis stories well thought out. God only made them speak different languages and they thus scattered. Some may even see this as not being a punishment. It was simply a reminder that God was all-powerful and that they still needed him even when they did not think they did.
Conclusion
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The issue on whether God, as described in the book of Genesis, is
