Gods immorality.

[SteveII]

No, I would not. But if I were a leader of a theocracy and regularly spoke to God about how to govern, then that would be a different story. Further to that, the context today is way different. Those were brutal times and such strategies were common-- i.e. the moral outrage would not be there (or be substantially less). In addition, God specifically was establishing a nation unlike all the others that inhabited the area. Human and child sacrifice was practiced as well as other objectionable practices and he did not want those mixing into what he was trying to do--preserve a nation that would eventually lead to Christ. You are just not going to see this context in anything after the NT.

Let me get this straight... If God spoke to you directly, but you were NOT a leader of a theocracy, you would disobey his commands and face his divine retribution. But if God selected you to lead his theocracy, then you would obey his commands - no matter how gruesome or heinous or personally immoral you found them to be. Also, if I understand what you are saying, God commanded his followers to slaughter men, women, children and infants (along with cattle, sheep, camels and donkeys) so that he, God, could establish a society which would NOT slaughter men, women, children, and infants (along with cattle, sheep, camels and donkeys). And this preferred nation that God crafted and would eventually lead to Christ was Jewish, the vast majority of which, so the story goes, not only did not recognize Jesus was the messiah, but also had a hand in slaying Jesus. Furthermore, the only method God could come up with to offer salvation to future generations was to commit a child sacrifice himself... his own child. Is that about right?

See my answer to Rob above.

Regarding the preservation of Israel, you have it basically correct. God promised Abraham that all the world would be blessed through the nation he fathered (through Christ and the gospel message). Christ atoning for sin and making it possible to have a personal relationship with God does not really fit the child sacrifice description.