God's command to kill the Amalekites (including infants) in 1 Samuel 15:3 is addressed through hyperbolic language theory, military depot context, and divine sovereignty.

Mike outlines three approaches: (1) Paul Copan's argument that the language is hyperbolic — typical ancient Near Eastern rhetoric of total destruction, evidenced by the fact Amalekites reappear in subsequent chapters; (2) the location may be a military depot rather than a civilian town; (3) most fundamentally, God as Creator has a right to do what he wills with his creation, including corporate judgment — a right humans do not have. He insists that fear of the Lord (acknowledging God's sovereign right over creation) is the beginning of wisdom and prerequisite for navigating these questions. Regarding infants: Mike holds that infants who die go into God's presence, so they experience a moment of terror but then eternal life — he views this as within God's sovereign prerogative. He recommends Paul Copan's "Is God a Moral Monster?" and Dan Kimball's "How (Not) to Read the Bible."