As I was spending time with the Lord this morning the thought went through my head about a comment I've often heard: that the God of the Old Testament was angry but the God of the New Testament is loving. It might appear so. But there are a few scriptures which refute this notion. Of course, these are just a handful! Please don't dismiss the verses.
He never changes. “For I am the LORD, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” (Malachi 3:6)
God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Numbers 23:19) He just never changes. His Word is true...and just.
He is just. There are many verses that describe His justice. They all point to what He desires of us. If we do not heed Him or His words, He will bring justice. It might be toward an individual or a nation, or the world! He wants is our devotion. He wants us to stop pushing Him aside. We saw what happened when people did that in the Old Testament. He seemed angry; it was actually out of compassion for His people that they would turn back to Him. Today He wants the same. Through His Son Jesus.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1John 1:9)
Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him. (Isaiah 30:18) Not just wait, but seek...
What I'm getting at is the question why God allows all the disaster and violence we've seen this year. Could it be He's acting the same as in the Old Testament, when His people turned from Him? He had to bring judgment in order for them to again remember who it was who brought them out of captivity...saved their lives. Couldn't it just be that He is wanting people to turn back to Him, like He always has? So, He causes catastrophes to fall on all people. ...for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:45)
God wants lives saved and there are times when disasters are what we need to seek Him. It's been said for thousands of years that the only way for salvation is through Jesus Christ, who is God, who is loving...and just. That is our personal answer to being saved. The world needs to understand this too. Just as He was, He is today...and will be tomorrow. Never changing.
Man's heart is inherently evil, all of our hearts, and as God did in the Old Testament He must do in the New. God's will will prevail. And sadly, for some the outcome will not be good because of their reluctance or stubbornness. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. (Matthew 5:18) So when we see the things on the news, think of God. Think of His love for us all and how He wants to be merciful. It may seem He is angry, but it is His compassion that we turn again to Him. Like a father exacting punishment on a child because he doesn't want him to be hurt. God so loves us and the world so wants Him to disappear
Look at what He did in the Old Testament when they turned away, worshiped idols and became complacent about Him. This sums it up very well:
But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath; for He remembered that they were but flesh, a breath that passes away and does not come again. How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, and grieved Him in the desert!
For their heart was not steadfast with Him, nor were they faithful in His covenant. (Psalm 78:38-40,37)
Where do you stand with God? Have you received His Son Jesus? Do you love Him? Are you pushing Him away and ignoring Him in your every day life? Do you think your good works alone will be pleasing to Him? He does not desire our sacrifices but a broken spirit and contrite heart. Will He look at your heart and know it is broken and contrite? He is God; He loves, He is just. He will not go away. Will you turn to Him?
Psalm 90:2 - Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
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