The God of the Old Testament
Notes
Transcript
Perception is everything
Perception is everything
Adolf Hitler, wouldn’t be a name that comes up when we think about the God of the Old Testament and I am not relating this person with God either, but I want to take you back to Nazi Germany in early 1930s and what Seventh-day Adventists thought of this individual.
You see, perception is everything and to the world in the early 1930s Hitler at that time was a growing political figure that helped Germany back on their feet after the Great War (or World War 1) and helped Germany become a war machine.
But to the ordinary Germans coming out of the ashes of the first world war, to them they saw a saviour and redeemer. From the words of the conference president of East Germany, W. Mueller he:
…welcomes with joy the reawakening of Germany and the fight of the Hitler government against unemployment. He is happy for the defense of Christianity, for morality and order, incorruptibility and justice in government, for the attack on class consciousness and the elevation of the ethnic community . . . The Christian is happy to know that the direction of his country is in the hands of a man like Hitler, who frequently emphasizes that he received his post from God to whom he is responsible. As non-drinker, nonsmoker and vegetarian, he stands close to our conception of the reformer of life . . . Still, some worry.
Now, not all Adventists were on the same page of the majority of Adventists that supported the fuhrer, hence ‘some worry’, however, it doesn’t remove the fact that many of our brothers and sisters in Germany did support him, his governance as well as his beliefs.
To non-Germans living in the rest of the world they saw Hitler as a tyrant and a warmonger but to the many Germans they saw salvation, someone who would save them from their embarrassment.
So, how is this any different to Christians when it comes to the Old Testament God?
What do you think non-Christians see when they look to the Old Testament God? What do you see when it comes to the Old Testament God, this does not mean that God is different in the Old and New Testament for God is one and God declares “For I am the Lord, I do not change...” (Malachi 3:6) and Paul declares in Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
Richard Dawkins, a well known atheist writes in his book ‘The God Delusion’ page 31:
The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.
So how do you justify or even talk about the things that God allowed or did in the Old Testament? If we believe that God is love (1 John 4:8) then why would God allow mass killings, murders, polygamy, and many various things? Why is God seen as wrathful and vengeful in the Old Testament?
How I am going to approach this topic we’re going to look at this in three aspects.
God’s concern for the sinner
God’s concern for our beliefs
God’s concern for society
These aspects will help us better understand God and his character for humanity and why He is viewed negatively by various beliefs.
God’s concern for the sinner
God’s concern for the sinner
When you think about the Old Testament God, it looks as though God’s focus and attention is centred around one group of people; the Israelites.
But, when you study the Bible, you will see that it is not entirely true. There are numerous cases where Israelites aren’t always at the centre of God’s amazing grace.
Take for example a prostitute who saved her family by trusting in the Israelite spies; Rahab. God heals a Syrian commander by the name of Namaan who at that time the Syrian kingdom was hostile towards Israel; God’s own people.
But, the best example that is king Nebuchadnezzar, a Babylonian king who conquered Judah, destroyed the God’s holy temple in Jerusalem, taking away the articles of the temple and took captive the Jews to convert them as pagans and educate them in the Babylonian culture.
God wasn’t just focused on one group of people, God was focused on helping people that wants to be saved as well as people who can be an influence to lead His elect.
These people that God chooses are people that would be a major influence in faith because God wants all people to know Him and live a life of righteousness. God’s plan of salvation was to direct people to the sanctuary which is a testament to what God was willing to do to for the salvation of many.
The sinners wicked ways
The sinners wicked ways
So, what is wrong with that? If God is doing something good then why do we see of many stories of people rebelling against God and His just plans for their salvation? Why does it feel like if you don’t follow God then we will face His full fury?
And the best explanation to this is that three letter word; sin.
The definition of sin is an immoral act considered to be a transgression against God’s law. Sin is contrary to God’s plan and character, but obviously there is more to that, sin is destructive and can come in various forms in appearing innocent to blatant in your face sin.
Sin’s purpose is self-centredness and deception, it’s a lie that many people are deceived thinking that the waters of sin are sweeter and better. The sinner is unaware that their sins are destroying the lives of others and themselves.
The sad fact is that we are all lured by this deceptions of sin and even though we call ourselves Christians it does not make us immune to sin.
When sin has taken a deep hold of us and we’ve become saturated in sins influence everything that we do and every action will be based on sin, on self centredness and lies.
To the sinner that loves sin, God is seen as a wrathful and vengeful God, the sinner will see God as the one who is selfish wanting to take away the very thing that they love and cherish.
And because of their love of sin that leads to death (Romans 6:23) God is merciful and either allows sin to take its course revealing to them and the world what happens when sin abounds or God intervenes and destroys sin or sinners because their sin has peak to the point of no return.
You see it is easy for many people to judge God on how He deals with sinners, because they are not aware of the consequences of sin and when God is trying to do something good, people blame Him regardless.
It’s like a child that is about to cross the street and a car is about to hit them, the child has been told countless of times the danger of crossing the street if they don’t watch the road for cars, and when a saviour comes dashing in to save the child at a moments notice and the child is injured as a result of the rescue. The public start blaming the saviour, for hurting and injuring the child.
Now obviously God has His ways in saving us from our sins, and it may seem like His way of doing things may be very foreign to us. But God revealed to Isaiah:
8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
God is in the business of saving people, and though we may not know how He does that the Bible tells us:
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
To the sinner that wants to live a righteous life, God is seen as their Saviour, they see the consequences of sin and they see how sin destroys, them and those they love. They see how God is personal and wants to save and be with them.
God calls out to the sinner who is deep in their sin and says:
3 Long ago the Lord said to Israel: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.
He pleads with the sinners:
11 As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?
He promises the sinner:
18 “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.
He declares to the sinner:
12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.
And the Lord blesses the sinner:
1 Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! 2 Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
God is indeed concerned for all sinners and He will do everything in His power to save us, but He won’t force us, and this leads us to our next point, where God is concerned for our beliefs.
God is concerned for our beliefs
God is concerned for our beliefs
Because even though we may realise that the God of the Old Testament is a personal and loving God.
In the Old Testament times, God had to reveal to His elect that He is the Living and True God.
5 I am the Lord; there is no other God. I have equipped you for battle, though you don’t even know me, 6 so all the world from east to west will know there is no other God. I am the Lord, and there is no other.
You have to remember that in the Old Testament, there were a plethora of gods and goddesses, Old Testament followers of God had to differentiate the lies and the truth in a world were there was no Scripture widely available.
Many of these heathen and pagan religions would entice and lead God’s people astray through sinful desires believing that their gods or goddesses allow them to free their bodies to their lust.
What’s baffles me is that these pagan gods or goddesses require the people sacrifice their children to the fires to please them. God doesn’t ask for this, sure people may use the examples of Abraham or even Jephthah and that is another subject that we can touch on later.
But, all God wants is for us to know that He is the only true and living God and to trust in Him.
10 “But you are my witnesses, O Israel!” says the Lord. “You are my servant. You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God— there never has been, and there never will be. 11 I, yes I, am the Lord, and there is no other Savior. 12 First I predicted your rescue, then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world. No foreign god has ever done this. You are witnesses that I am the only God,” says the Lord. 13 “From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can snatch anyone out of my hand. No one can undo what I have done.”
God is concerned for our beliefs because He wanted the Israelites to be His witnesses to all those heathen kingdoms that surround them.
But because of Israel’s continued rebellion in serving other gods and goddesses, it skewed the image of the Might God who saved these people out of slavery, brought them through the wilderness and gave them victory to conqueror those heathen kingdoms that trusted in their own God that the Israelites failed to be God’s witness’ that they went about following the gods of sticks and stones of which they conquered.
You see, Israel were meant to be that witness and be a light to many of those heathen kingdoms to draw them out of darkness and into God’s marvelous light. God wanted to set them apart and that’s why God was concerned with their belief so that they can be their witness to the world.
God and society
God and society
Finally, we come to our final point on how God is concerned for His people’s society. The meaning of society is a people living together in an ordered community. It’s an organisation formed for a particular purpose or activity.
God’s purpose for the Israelites was for them to be a special people that would be their witness to the world, revealing the True and Living God.
But people are like sheep and need to be governed, and a government is only in power if there are laws in place. Laws to keep peace and dedication to the society or nation.
When we look at the various Levitical laws, there are some there that maybe confusing as well as archaic and that is rightly so when we look at it from Modern eyes. But, we have to remember that the Israelites were once slaves and is now free.
It’s like giving $1000 to a 12 year old, what do you think that 12 year old would do with that money? Instructions need to be given so that the child can steward the money wisely.
The Levitical laws though some of the laws may not make sense, made a lot of sense for God’s people in that time, God set those rules out to distinguish themselves from the other nations. Israel needed to be a peculiar people they needed to be holy and faithful.
2 “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
7 So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the Lord your God. 8 Keep all my decrees by putting them into practice, for I am the Lord who makes you holy.
The God of the Old Testament, to the sinner may seem like a vengeful and ferocious God, yes there are some places in the Old Testament where God allowed certain events to happen that may not seem right to our eyes.
Yet, when we understand the true character of God and what He wants for His people it can help us understand these instances in the Old Testament, God isn’t out there to be some sort of fear monger, God created us and because of the deception of sin that has led us astray from Him.
He is pleading with us all to return to Him to be that peculiar and distinct people consecrating themselves to be holy by keeping His laws and statutes. He wants us to be that witness to all the nation. He wants us to come to Him and be free from the shackles of sin.
But, the question is, what is stopping you? What is hindering your progress to be that holy, distinct, witness for the Living and Loving God of the Old Testament?