>>16085173God has a plan for all of us, and if you read the Gospels you know that God calls all men in their own time. Further, to imply that God is different in the old and new testament is to misunderstand the nature of God and goodness. These are unchanging. The recording, illustration, storytelling, and perspective of men must change but God's actions are always based on greater cosmic good - Toward the work of reconciliation and salvation. The reason that reconciliation is necessary is because of the stubbornness of man, choosing to stray from the path the man is called to by God's greater design.
If it helps, think of God as justice, love, peace, goodness - All the stuff that you know brings joy, happiness, warmth, and stability. Families of their kind growing in peace, living in communion with creation, open joy, even play. The reason these things are tempered is because, again, of the nature of man. We're capable of choosing to stray from what's good, to harm one another, to harm ourselves, to choose corruption over salvation. If we don't crave goodness, it would not be just for God to impose goodness upon us.
A common issue people have with the Old Testament is God's demand of harsh violence against the Canaanites and Amalekites. The Canaanites engaged in bestiality, child sacrifice, ritual violence, and open worship of evil. Their sin was great enough to corrupt the land - "Vomiting" life into the land in a state of sin. There are actions and evils to which the only just response is cold and passionless punishment and reprimand. Despite this, the violence was not aimed at the Canaanite people, but their religion. Canaanites like Rahab were able to repent and find salvation.
"Couldn't God just [blank]?" is a common question. Sure, in our limited human understanding, we can see how a materialistically simpler solution would satisfy us better than the judgment of God. However...
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