If you ever needed proof that the Bible’s God is not loving, not just, and not morally trustworthy, look no further than 2 Samuel 24 — one of the most disturbing stories believers never talk about.
Here’s the summary:
- King David decides to take a census of Israel.
- God gets angry about it (for reasons the Bible never clearly explains).
- Instead of punishing David, God murders 70,000 random civilians.
Yes, you read that right.
70,000 people die because David counted them.
And this is supposed to be divine justice.
1. The Bible Literally Says God Did This — Not Satan, Not Nature
Some Christians try to blame “free will,” “Satan,” or “Old Testament context.”
Too bad the Bible completely removes their excuses.
“So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel… and seventy thousand men died.”
— 2 Samuel 24:15
Not Satan.
Not disease.
Not a metaphor.
God intentionally kills them.
And why?
Because David wanted to know how many soldiers he had.
That’s it.
Imagine a president orders a survey… and God responds by wiping out the entire population of a small country.
This is not justice.
It’s divine overreaction on a cosmic scale.
2. God Punishes the Innocent and Spares the Guilty
David even admits he is the one at fault.
He begs God to punish him, not the people:
“I have done wickedly… but these sheep, what have they done?”
— 2 Samuel 24:17
Good question, David.
What exactly did the 70,000 victims do?
- Did they sin?
- Did they rebel?
- Did they provoke God?
No.
They existed.
So God kills them.
But David — the actual “guilty” one — lives.
If this is justice, then the word has no meaning.
3. Christian Apologists Hate This Story — And Their Excuses Are Pathetic
Here are the most popular mental gymnastics:
“God sees the big picture.”
If the “big picture” requires killing thousands of innocent people, maybe your god’s plan sucks.
“It was discipline!”
For who? The dead ones? The babies? The farmers?
“The people must have secretly sinned.”
Great — imaginary sins invented to justify divine mass murder.
“It’s about God’s sovereignty.”
Translation:
God can kill whoever He wants, so shut up and stop asking questions.
“We can’t question God’s ways.”
How convenient. When God behaves like a tyrant, just turn off your brain.
4. If Human Beings Behaved Like This, We’d Call Them Monsters
Imagine a world leader who:
- Gets angry for no clear reason
- Punishes the innocent for the sins of the guilty
- Takes thousands of lives to make a point
- Demands obedience instead of justice
We wouldn’t call him “loving.”
We’d call him a psychopath.
But when God does it, Christians call it:
- Holy
- Righteous
- Just
- Perfect
- Good
- “Above our understanding”
This isn’t morality.
This is glorified authoritarianism.
5. The Story Gets Worse: God Offers David 3 Horrifying Punishments
Before unleashing death, God gives David three “options,” (2 Samuel 24:13) like some kind of sadistic game show:
- Three years of famine
- Three months of fleeing from enemies
- Three days of plague
All three involve innocent people dying.
This is not justice.
This is cruelty wrapped in divine branding.
If a parent offered these “choices” to a child, they would be arrested.
But because it’s God, it gets a free pass.
6. The Bible Accidentally Exposes Its Own God
Stories like this reveal a truth believers never want to admit:
The God of the Bible behaves like a jealous, insecure ancient king — not an all-loving deity.
He kills to send messages.
He punishes the innocent for the actions of the guilty.
He demands fear, not love.
He values obedience over ethics.
The story exists for one reason:
Bronze Age people believed power = justice.
And they wrote that belief into their religion.
Conclusion: If This Is “Divine Justice,” You Can Keep It
A god who kills 70,000 innocent people because of a census is not good.
Not loving.
Not moral.
Not worthy of worship.
Not even slightly.
This story alone should shatter the illusion that the Bible represents perfect morality.
Because if this is what God calls “justice,” then humanity has outgrown Him.
