Difficult Questions on the Old Testament

I want to ask you a favor. Please send me difficult questions about the Old Testament, those questions that everyone thinks about but are afraid to ask. I want to compile a list of maybe 10 questions that we can seek to answer together. The Top Ten list will be the questions that are most pastorally relevant. You can post them in a comment below or email me at ice4500__((_AT_))__hotmail.com.

So what kind of questions am I looking for?

Here are some examples:

• Why did God command the Israelites to kill children in the conquest of Canaan--is that right and how do we explain it? (Deut 2:24; 20:16-18; Josh 6:21)
• Are we really supposed to "hate with a perfect hatred"? (Ps 139:21-22)
  

I want to find good answers for hard questions, answers that can be easily summed up and delivered to people who ask the hard questions to their pastors and teachers. It is very easy to gloss over difficult problems like these when what people need to satisfy their intellectual honesty is a good, well-thought-out answer. Let's work through these together!

Oh and in terms of pastoral relevance, check out this article by Dr. Peter Williamson on the topic called Biblical Scholarship with a Pastoral Purpose.