49 | Hard Questions About the Bible: Slavery, War, and Why God Seems Cruel in the Old Testament

Click to Fill Out The Podcast Feedback Form Have you ever been scrolling through social media and someone is confidently tearing the Bible apart? They point to God wiping out cities, the Bible and slavery, or the way women were treated in the Old Testament, and suddenly you don't know what to say. Maybe you've had some of those same questions yourself. Today we're going to talk about all of it, with real answers, not a dismissal and not a seminary lecture. Just an honest conversation about the hard parts of Scripture and why the whole Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is one unified story pointing straight to Jesus. In this episode we talk about: What the Bible actually means when it says "God-breathed" and why that matters The difference between what the Bible describes and what God commands Why God commanded Israel to wipe out certain cities and what the Bible actually says about that What the Old Testament really says about slavery and why it looks very different from what we think How the Bible treats women from Genesis through the Gospels Why God required animal sacrifice and why we don't do that anymore What people mean when they say the Bible "contradicts itself" and how to respond How Jesus is woven throughout the entire Old Testament, not just predicted but present Scripture mentioned in this episode: 2 Timothy 3:16 / Genesis 15:16 / Psalm 103:8 / Exodus 21:2 / Deuteronomy 15 / Galatians 3:28 / Isaiah 53 / John 1:29 / Hebrews 9:26 / Hebrews 10:4 / John 5:39 / Hebrews 1:1-2 Scripture of the Week: Hebrews 1:1-2 "In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son." Resources Mentioned: Shop Scripture Based Items on our Website My Favorite Things on Amazon (including favorite study Bibles) Get on the Waitlist for the "How to Study the Bible" Course YouVersion Bible App The Bible Recap Connect With Me: Email: [email protected] Instagram: @susan.shropshire TikTok: @susanshropshire