Joshua 6:21 (NIV)
They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, and donkeys.
How can the slaughter of this magnitude be reconciled with the justice of God? “Sin had become so ingrained in the nation that God had no alternative but to rid the country of sin by exterminating the entire population.”** God had told Abraham that He would judge the Amorites when their sin had reached its full measure (see Genesis 15:16). God is righteous. He has His eye on our world. He does not take pleasure in executing judgment. He created the earth to be a place where humanity could flourish, but when it is filled with violence and when every imagination of a person’s heart is only evil continually (Genesis 6:5,11), and when an entire civilization is saturated in a culture of evil, something must be done. When you hear about people who continually allow evil to manifest itself through them (ensnaring children in sex trafficking, killing innocents, etc.) pray for them to find Jesus; but remember: God is the righteous judge (Rev. 20:11-15).