Does punishment prove that God is cruel?
No!

Many atheists quote the punishments of God as recorded in the Old Testament as something evil. This is probably the greatest fallacious argument in all of atheism and anti-christian posts (don’t be fooled easily).

Truth is:

To understand ‘why’ God enforced ‘seriousness punishments’, you must first understand some of these reasons:

(i) The Crime Committed

Many of those who were punished in a cruel manner only got what they had done toward another human being ‘first’, that’s the ‘equality/fairness’ Judgment principle in ‘Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth…‘(Exodus 21:24).

If it’s ‘not’ done back to them on earth, it may well be done back to them in Hell:

“Woe to the wicked–it will go badly for them, for what they have done will be done to them. ” (Isaiah 3:11)

(ii) God doesn’t punish innocent people

It’s never the case that some well meaning person is executed by God for “no” reason. More than often, we do “not” know what these people have done in detail. But rest assured that if God punishes, He will reveal all their ‘wicked deeds’ amounting to it on Judgment Day.

“And Peter having opened his mouth, said, ‘Of a truth, I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he who is fearing Him, and is working righteousness, is acceptable to Him; the word that He sent to the sons of Israel, proclaiming the Gospel — peace through Jesus Christ (this one is Lord of all,)” (Acts 10:34 – 36)

God never makes mistakes.

(iii) Taking His Name in vain

Many ancient people made up their own gods of stone, wood and iron even attaching unclean concepts to it.

God reserves the right to execute (or punish) anyone who makes a ‘false god’ simply because it’s “not” true from His Perspective. In fact, by doing so, they’ve created corrupt ideas which has resulted in many murders, wars and hate even among themselves.

You may read up their own account of their stories and see their gods fighting, killing, having sex etc. Are these gods?

Hence, the Almighty reserves the right to punish ‘anything’ that claims to be ‘a god’ (to prove that He alone is God and for the lies and perversions which they’ve caused):

“A Psalm of Asaph. God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; He judgeth among the gods.” (Psalm 82:1)

None shall escape (neither evil men nor the evil spirit beings).

(iv) All of these can be understood with the example of why He allowed the Killing of Babies

How come the Old Testament (Bible) taught the killing of infants (babies)?

Simple:The “Right” thing to do under Judgment (“Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” [Exodus 21:24] and “…for what they have done will be done to them.” [Isaiah 3:11])

Commonly quoted verses by the opponents of the Faith but greatly “misinterpreted as to why”:

“Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.” (1 Samuel 15:2-4)

and,

“O daughter of Babylon, O destroyed one, O the happiness of him who repayeth to thee thy deed, That thou hast done to us. O the happiness of him who doth seize, And hath dashed thy sucklings on the rock!” (Psalm 137:8-9)

The misinterpretation: How come God condoned or instructed the killing of babies?

The Truth: Judgment is such because “the parents” of these “infants/babies” also “did first such acts” toward “others”.

Proof?

For (1 Samuel 15:2-4), note the phrase “which Amalek did to Israel” and in (Psalm 137:8-9), note the phrase “repayeth to thee thy deed, That thou hast done to us” which “means that these wicked people did that FIRST toward Israel”, hence God allowed them to do “likewise” (equal, right, perfect Judgment with the same acts back —> Agreeing with the principles in [Exodus 21:24] & [Isaiah 3:11] quoted prior).

P/S:

God didn’t instruct the killing “FIRST” but allowed it as an “equal” punishment for what “they did FIRST”.

In the New Testament however, Christ the Lord taught more than the “right” thing to do; more accurately, the “perfect” thing to do which is “to forgive” and “lay down our lives instead” as He Himself demonstrated on His Most Awesome Cross:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” – Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:38 – 39)

That is, God in Christ taught believers to move ‘higher’ from being “right” (Judgment) to being “perfect” (Love).

There are “no” contradictions in the Bible if you read “correctly”.

Only the spiritually-blind see contradictions.