The Character of God (Part I)

We begin our discussions about the themes of the Old Testament with a look at the Old Testament’s chief character – God Himself. Readers of the O.T. (Old Testament) often complain that the God of the O.T. is inconsistent with the God we see revealed in the N.T. (New Testament). This notion is erroneous, but perhaps understandable. In the N.T. Jesus is the very picture of love and compassion. The message of love and redemption is resounded again and again in the N.T. and is so strong that passages dealing with judgment are more easily overlooked (they are certainly there however if one wishes to look). The reverse is true in the O.T. There God so often speaks of law and judgment that passages about his love and compassion are overlooked. However, a difference in emphasis is not nearly the same thing as a contradiction.

In the O.T. God relates to the Israelites as a parent relates to children. Parents set limits for their children and chastise them when the limits are breached. My six year old son knows that he is not aloud beyond our cul-de-sac when he is riding his bike. I don’t allow him to decide how far is safe or how long he may stay outside –I am the parent and I tell him clearly what the rules are going to be and what the punishment is if they are broken. There will come a time when he matures and can make decisions more independently, but for now I must remain the lawgiver and teacher. As a teen he will likely believe that he knows everything and will rebel against my parental authority. If history hold true he will likely get himself into all sorts of messes before he comes to realize that parents do indeed know a thing or two about life. When we read about God in the O.T. we should do so through the parental lens. God is giving his children laws to govern life and he chastises His rebellious children.

Also, the context of the O.T. is very different than that of the N.T. Jesus is usually speaking to individuals about how to live as individuals. In the O.T., however, God is usually speaking to the nation and giving laws for a nation. My life and health, as an individual, will be much improved by a philosophy of forgiveness. Harboring hate toward those who wrong me damages my soul and becomes a wedge between myself and God, but a nation operates differently. Obviously, the nation of Israel cannot pardon every murderer and rapist; the principal of forgiveness does not apply to the relationship between criminal and government.

Is a parent able to love and be angry with a child simultaneously? Can I punish my child while at the same time forgiving them? The answer to both questions is clearly “Yes”. Love and judgment may appear contradictory at times, but they are not. I can at one moment snuggle lovingly with my son and later harshly punish him for a wrong – it is the same with God. For a longer discussion of these ideas I recommend the follow two web sites. http://www.comereason.org/bibl_cntr/con090.asp and http://www.gotquestions.org/God-different.html