Violence in Old Testament - Did God change in New Testament?

Violence in Old Testament
Bible Verses	Description of the context	God’s dealings
Gen 6.11	Earth was corrupt before God and filled with violence	Judgment by flood, corrupt killed
Gen 49.5	Simeon and levi.. weapons of violence are their swords	God judged their violence, cursed their anger, and received no blessings
Judges 9.24	In Jud 9.24, Abimelech killed his brothers 70 of them.	God warned them through Jotham and Abimelech three years after.  He was killed by a woman, (Jud 9.54). God repaid evil, brought all evil upon their own head
Deut 19.16	False witness rising against another	Repaid with same malicious intent.  Utterly remove evil from their midst
Deut 7.16, 7.24	Devour enemies without pity. Mighty kings will be delivered to be destroyed by Israel	Deut 7.6, sets a background for this.  God loved Israel very much.  Israel was His personal treasure.  There were oppressive kings like the pharaoh who God had and will destroy if they terrify God’s beloved Israel
Deut 20.10-18	Deut 20.11 – forcing them to serve you if they surrender. Deut 20.14- women and the little ones and the beasts as spoils, which God is giving. Deut 20.16-17 utterly destroy	>Though it seems these verses refer war mongering, it is not.  Deut 20.4 tells us that it was a defensive battle and, God will save them explains that the israelites were being threatened.  Later we see our great God instructing Israelites who had built new house, new vineyard or engaged to a woman or even who is afraid of the battle to return. >Battle with far off cities, only men engaged battle are to be killed, woman, children and all the beasts will be spoils of war. > But the Hittites and the amorites, the Canaanites and the perizzites , the hivites and the jebusites needs to be utterly destroy to avoid all possible corruptions due to their abomination which they practiced for their gods and thus sin against Jehovah.
Amos 1.3 – 2.3	Transgressions of different nations	God’s warning to the erring nation.  His proclamation about the seriousness of transgressions.  The violence and slayings was a choice of the nations if they continued in sin.
Gen 18-19	Brimstone and fire from heaven killing scores of people	The whole city was evil, they faced the judgment of God.  There is no looking back in longing for the sinful city which God hated due to the wickedness.  Judgment on Lot’s wife
Ex 32.27	Kill neighbors, brother, companions and there was mass murder by the levites	God was issuing something special on the mountain to Moses.  Within a span of few years, Israelites had witnessed God’s abundant love, providence, protection, miracles, His effort to establish them as a nation.  However, just few days, the nation made them an idol, the golden calf and worshipped it.  Again, there was a chance of repentance when Moses asked who is on the Lord’s side
Lev 17-26	Animal sacrifices, death punishments	This is the set standard of Jehovah.  Time and again, He instructs His people to be Holy, because He is Holy.  The entangling sin has spared none, thus the requirement of sacrifice is advocated.  Yet from the Bible we understand that there is no more animal sacrifices after the ultimate sacrifice which is Christ, the lamb of God.  In fact the Old Testament sacrifices all typifies the sacrifice of Christ.
Num 1	Military service for men	This does not indicate that our God is promoting violence.  This is what God wants His beloved Israel to do.  Since Israel is God’s beloved, Satanic and all dark forces will cause harm even to the last days.  God wants His people to be courageous and defend themselves as instructed.
Num 11	The fire of Jehovah burned and consumed people	This is in response to the murmur of the people who complained against God who loved them like a Father.
Num 15.32	Stoning for not observing Sabbath	God’s judgment to not honor His rest.  It was in His rest, that Adam was brought forth.  This rest was lost by them due to their sin.  Now the nation of Israel was commanded to honor after all that they have seen God do for them a day of His rest, which is the Sabbath.
Num 16	Korah and all their possessions were destroyed Fire came down and consumed 250 of the Israelites leaders	Korah had rebelled, didn’t honor God’s commission.  They caused tension and rifts among people.  Korah’s dishonored their levite status and they rebelled against God and thus faced judgment.
Num 25	Moses commanding the Judges of Israel to slay his men	Among all the sins that the Israelites have done, idolatry is the most grievous thing before God.  Repeatedly, the people have witnessed great punishment for worship idols and bowing to other gods.  This is a personal attack on God by the devil.
Num 31	Vengeance on Midianites Killing of all male children and young and women who are not virgin	Midianites was corrupted race.  (Read who are the Midianites).  They had a clear knowledge that the Israel was blessed by God, yet they persevered to harass them.  Midianites were a culture of utterly disgusting lustful people.  The women except for virgins were lustful fleshly people had the danger of fornication and spreading the Midianite deception among the people of Israelites.  The young male children can never be considered an Israelite by natural means and can cause divisions and strife in the future.  However, this was not the commandment of Jehovah.  This was told by Moses on his own volition.  Whether it is approved by Jehovah or not is unknown.
Numbers 33	Driving out the inhabitants of Canaan	Israelites were about to possess the good land, but they had to drive out the previous inhabitants, their idols first.  This was the judgment of God over the wicked Canaanites and a lesson for Israelites about what God disliked like idol worshipping, the paganic way of life etc.
Deut 13.15	Slay the inhabitants of that city with the edge of sword	This again a judgment of God over the people leading His beloved Israel astray.  If we read the previous verse we understand that these inhabitants are worthless men who have gone out from your midst and have forced the people to serve other gods.
Jud 3.12	Violence intended by God against Israel	Israel did evil in the eyes of God.  The children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab for 18 years. Note that Moabs were a disgusting race in the eyes of God.
1 Sam 6.19	Jehovah struck the men for looking at the Ark of Jehovah..He struck 70 men among the people	The Ark contains the law, God’s testimony.  It is an unchangeable standard of God.  God is Holiness is perfect and eternal.  His commands are serious and non negotiable.  People looking at the Ark falling to die is divine judgment of God falling in the hands of God without any offering with their wickedness.  People who are glancing casually at the Ark without reverence suffered huge losses.  It was as if looking into the heart of the Lord casually.  This was serious.  It was like you got caught in a furnace without shield.
1 Sam 15.2	Strike Amalekites and utterly destroy them	Amalakites signify flesh – the fallen man.  We have thus far seen God’s relentless effort to preserve His people, His personal treasure.  Here too it continues, God put Saul to destroy the fleshly amalakites.  All their properties, their sheeps, oxen were an abomination to God.  They were brought forth in Sin and by sinful men.  That’s why God want utter destruction of the tribes who harass Israel with its harlotry and idols.
2 Kin 1.10	Elijah commanded fire from heaven which consumed 100 of the Moabites	First of all the Moabs had a life long history of rebellion against God.  The very beginning of Moab (Gen 19.33-37) was an abomination to God.  However, here Elijah was sent to warn the latest rebellion of Moab against Israel.  Ahaziah fell sick, he sought, the lord of the flies, Beelzebul, who was a god of the demon.  This enraged God, who sent a warning to Ahaziah through his men.  Subsequently, the soldiers of Ahaziah dealt casually, puffed with their ego, forgetting how to address the concern of God, suffered judgment of God.
2 Kin 5.27	Leprosy of Namaan transferred to Gehazi	While Namaan honored God of Israel after the miraculous healing, Elisha refused to accept anything in return most probably to retain the gratefulness in Namaan’s heart or maybe to avoid undermining the healing of the leprosy, but Gehazi dealt unwisely, selfishly, undermined the work of God with a life.  God judged Gehazi for his wickedness.
2 Kin 2.23	Elisha cursed 42 little boys in the name of Jehovah who were then devoured by two female bears.	Not much is revealed here, except how much God values His Prophets and their works.  42 little boys, does not mean very small boys, in fact they could be violent teen age boys.  Their intention of choosing Elisha and mocking him is unknown.  They belittled the Prophet of God and how serious was it in the eyes of God is in the passage.  Whatever the reason, 2 female bears came from the woods and devoured the boys.
Psalms 137	Violence against little ones of Babylon	This is the psalmists own intentions.  God is not in picture here to understand whether he approved it or not.  This was a curse proclaimed against Babylon and the daughters of Babylon who rebelled against God.  We the New Testament believers are not told to curse others but to bless our oppressors.

Now when we read the New Testament, there is absolutely no bloodshed or harm commanded by the Lord God against any tribes or nations or even individuals due to their unbelief, sins disobedience or rebellions.  On the contrary, we understand that the Lord Jesus asking His followers not to retaliate, curse or harm others, even if they were on the receiving end and suffer willingly.  When Christ gave this new outlook to his followers, it was new and spiritually very superior.  Now, we come to the question, whether God of the Old Testament, Father of the Lord Jesus, made a mistake in slaughtering the people rebelled, sinned etc?  or Did God change in the New Testament?  The answer is 'No' to both the questions.  When we analyze the above verses in the table, we notice without ambiguity the perfect and uncompromising standard of God.  He considered Israel His precious treasure, His child.  With this standard of pure love, God demanded a perfect loyalty from Israel which they failed to render many times when they engaged with the enemies of God and worked against Him.  The God of the Old Testament was a Triune God but was not consummated Christ's birth, death, resurrection and ascension.  Before Christ, He didn’t have scope to overlook people’s rebellions and sin while keeping His perfect nature which included perfect righteousness, perfect mercy and perfect love intact.  No wicked deed will go unpunished without giving an account for to satisfy the perfect righteous nature of God Almighty.  In the New Testament, our God is the same perfect, strict and uncompromising God, but He was in a position to forgive the sins of the people in the name of the Son’s sacrifice without compromising His highest standard of righteousness. 

Summary.  Our God is the same perfect, righteous Father today as He was in the Old Testament.  He never makes error as He is the perfect Creator.  In the New Testament, through the sacrifice of Lord Jesus, He have acquired for Himself a scope of forgiving the sins of His people whey they repented and confessed their shortcomings to Him through the blood of Christ for salvation.   Hallelujah