Mistaken Reputation

November 30, 2021 Jim Musser

The God of the Old Testament has long proven to be an obstacle of belief for non-Christians and Christians alike. The world, if any acknowledge the Christian God at all, much prefer the God of the New Testament, the God who is love, as the Apostle John describes him. Non-believers find Jesus much more palatable than the God of the Old Testament. Their view is summed up in quote I recall from a student listening to the “preachers” on campus many years ago: “Why can’t they just talk about what Jesus talked about—love?” The God of judgment versus the God of love. No wonder it is much easier for Christians to camp out in the New Testament.

However, the God of the Old Testament has a mistaken reputation. A close reading of those 66 books will reveal a God of undeniable and unfailing love. During the past week, I have been reading Ezekiel. When people think of this prophet, typically two things come to mind—1) a strange movable throne with wheels full of faces and eyes, and 2) a valley full of dry bones that come to life. But there is far more there and enough to balance the common assumption of the God of the Old Testament.

In Chapter 18 which I read this morning, the Lord is speaking through the prophet regarding a common proverb of the day: “The parents eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” The meaning spoke to the idea of the consequences of sins of the fathers being suffered by their children. It was often used to shirk responsibility and blame one’s parents for the state of one’s life. In explaining that in reality each person’s sin was his own responsibility, the Lord laments the rebellion of his people against him. He warns of impending judgment, just as we would expect from the God of the Old Testament. Yet, in the midst of this warning, he says this:

But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die. None of the offenses they have committed will be remembered against them. Because of the righteous things they have done, they will live. Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? (Ezekiel 18:21-23)

“Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?” The common reputation held of the Old Testament God would lead many to answer in the affirmative. Yes, he does take pleasure in sending the wicked to Hell. In fact, that has been preached from many a pulpit over the centuries. Yet, through Ezekiel, God makes clear the opposite. He takes no pleasure in judging the wicked. In fact, he holds out hope that they will turn from their wicked ways and instead live for him.

Think of your worst enemy or an evil person in the world. God has made a way for him/her to be redeemed. While you might be tempted to take pleasure in their judgment, he does not. Instead, because he is full of love and mercy, he longs for even the evil people among us to turn back to him. Hmmm. Sounds a lot like Jesus.

The truth is that there is no difference between the God of the Old Testament and the One of the New Testament. As Deuteronomy 6:4 says: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. He is indeed the God of judgment, just as Jesus warned of impending judgment. But he also is the God of unfathomable grace and mercy. As he said through Ezekiel and echoed through Paul and Peter, he takes no pleasure in seeing any human condemned. Rather, he desires deeply that they repent and turn back toward him.

As a young believer, as many do, I struggled with understanding and comprehending the God of the Old Testament. However, as the years have passed and I have spent more and more time in those 66 books, I have come to understand that God hasn’t changed from BC to AD. He is the same, and the more we understand him in the Old Testament, the more we will see the consistency between him and Jesus. One God. One Savior. One Lord.