The stories are horrible.. Do you think they are god breathed because the Hebrews told you they are? Really? The OT isn't about God.. Its about the Jews. Their history, identity, laws and purification rituals, their enemies..
Of course it's about the Jews.....do you understand why? What do the Jews have to do with God's purpose for this earth? Why is their history, out of all earths populations, important? Why does God's relationship with Israel take up so much of the Bible?
Do you think Herod's fictional slaughter of the babies was moral?
It was foretold. Do you think the magi who alerted Herod to Jesu's birth were sent by God? I assure you that they were sent by God's arch enemy. Herod saw the newborn king as a threat to his own dynasty. The slaughter was not fictional. Satan was at the back of that.
It appears that you rely on historical accounts to form your opinions rather than the Bible. If you know anything about historical accuracy, you have to look no further than how white settlement in foreign nations was carried out. The other side has a very different story to tell. History is often whitewashed to paint the aggressor as the hero.
What about Egyptian history? They never recorded their defeats...only their victories. The refreshing thing about the Bible is that it doesn't sanitize anything. It simply tells it like it was.
Since God is the Sovereign Maker and Ruler of this earth, regardless of what humans think, all are under his dominion. If humans disobey him, they will feel his displeasure...sooner or later.
How about the slaughter of Egypt's firstborn? Thousands murdered in Sinai.. It just goes on and on.
Have you read the accounts with an open mind or was your mind already closed due to your pre-conceived moral disgust?
Do you understand what the 10 plagues were all about? Every single plague was designed to humiliate one of Egypt's gods. In every event, Pharaoh was given the opportunity to end it. He agreed, and when when the plagued stopped, he reneged. This occurred 10 times, not because God wanted to cause the Pharaoh further grief, but to show up his stubborn disposition and to show that his own gods were failing him and for the sake of his own people, he needed to do as he was asked. Not until the last plague...the death of Egypt's firstborn, was Pharaoh brought to his knees. He was Egypt's primary deity and his firstborn was to be his successor. Even after he had released Israel from their slavery, he again changed his mind and went after them, losing his own life and those of his military men.
So if you want to blame someone for Egypt's plagues, put the blame on the right person.
As Creator, God gives life and he can take it away at his own discression. He does not need our permission or approval to carry out his will and fulfill his purpose. We don't dictate to God what his morality should be.
