B. W. wrote:Well - below is a link to an article that addresses the God of the OT and the God of the NT that may help you.militarynewb wrote:Thank you Bippy. I was just sitting around my house saturday morning when a post card was dropped off at my apartment door. It was for a Christian Church called "The Door" here in el paso texas. I knew this, if anything, had to be a sign from God that I was ready and had built up my relationship with him enough to take next step in my Faith and go back to church after many many years of absence. I was worried though that I would feel weird if I went back to church because I have not felt comfortable in a church in over 15 years. The only excuse i could think of, of not taking this opportunity in front of me, was that I was not going to get up early on a Sunday morning and I sure wasn't going to go in the evening. On the post card it said 11am, and I was like, well God didn't leave me any excuses haha. So I was extremely worried I was going to go into the church Sunday morning and be weirded out and not want to go back, however, to my complete disbelief, I went in there, and immediately felt at home. I didn't feel like a stranger in the church. I almost knew from that instant, I had found the church that I was meant to go to. Then after we all sang, The pastor preached about Luke Ch 24, Verses 15-35. The fact that i remember this is more huge than you realize. Before remembering this, the only part i had ever remembered was John 3:16, and that was from almost 20 years ago! At that moment coming home from church, I truly felt like i was indeed a Christian. Of course, with this, after a few days, and really starting to dig into portions of the Bible, I came to realize, that God in the Old Testament, seems to be so much different than the God we know from the New Testament. I think a certain spot, though i dont remember where, in the old testament, got me asking questions again, which i was hoping to get away from. God seemed to be talking about someone who was a baby and had nothing and God took that baby and clothed her, and gave her everything she would ever need. And then she started prostituting and whoring herself out. And all i could think while reading this, was that this God sounded really mean. In my head when i read this piece of scripture, it was and God forgive me for saying this, but it seemed like God was saying, Look at you now, your nothing but a stupid whore! It seemed like he was belittling His own creation. So now I am trying to find solutions to this....
http://www.gotquestions.org/God-different.html
Another manner to try to help you come to terms with finding a solution is to think of someone constantly playing you, taking advantage you, playing your compassion and love for their own advantage. Using you, mocking you, misconstrue your words and promises, and mistreating you at every turn and doing so to all others around you too. Your own love and compassion for such a person would lash out in a fit of rage none could stand and say to that person - ENOUGH! BE GONE FAR FROM ME! and they are no more. Think of ISIS in Iraq right now, God gave such folks a gift of life and what are they doing with it? Evil is insidious and diabolical. Something had to be done and God did so in the OT. How were the people treating God back then? Do you see it yet?
1 John 4:19 says this: We love Him because He first loved us. NKJV
The Lord came and permitted himself to be betrayed, lied about, falsely accused, plotted against, despised, mocked, beaten, put on trial, had his garments stolen, stripped naked, abandoned, rejected, abused, and nailed to a cross to die a slow agonizing death. What kind of Love would do that to show us what we are like to God and each other, so we can be forgiven, cleansed of this filth, and made new who see what we have done?
That is a love more profound that I can comprehend because we do not deserve one iota of God's mercy, yet, he called out in the OT to return to him, and they did not. After a while, what can God do with those that reject him and the proven character of his love despising it totally? In the OT, God's rejected love in furious wrath was made known to those inclined to evil which betrays, spread lies, falsely accuses, plot against, despises, mocks, beats, puts on show trial, justifies theft, abandons, rejects, abuses, uses, and crucifies others in their heart, puts to death relationships, etc and etc... murders... who want nothing to do with God. In the NT, He came and exposed this in order to save those who believe in his salvation all offered freely that changes lives out of darkness into his light. With a love like that, how can one find fault with God in both the OT and the NT?
He had no need to consider us at all but still came...
Do you see it now?
In light of what I wrote about Isaiah records this:
Isaiah 65:2-5, "I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts, 3 A people who continually provoke Me to My face, Offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on bricks; 4 Who sit among graves and spend the night in secret places; Who eat swine's flesh, And the broth of unclean meat is in their pots. 5 "Who say, 'Keep to yourself, do not come near me, For I am holier than you!' These are smoke in My nostrils, A fire that burns all the day." NASB
There comes a time when God has a enough and Yet...
Isa 65:8-11, "Thus says the LORD, "As the new wine is found in the cluster, And one says, 'Do not destroy it, for there is benefit in it,' So I will act on behalf of My servants In order not to destroy all of them. 9 "I will bring forth offspring from Jacob, And an heir of My mountains from Judah; Even My chosen ones shall inherit it, And My servants will dwell there. 10 "Sharon will be a pasture land for flocks, And the valley of Achor a resting place for herds, For My people who seek Me.11 "But you who forsake the LORD, Who forget My holy mountain, Who set a table for Fortune, And who fill cups with mixed wine for Destiny..." NASB
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