Was God still merciful in the Old Testament? Yes. Is God still just in the New Testament of today? Yes. So, did God somehow change His behavior from the Old Testament to the birth of Christ and subsequent writing of the New Testament? No. God makes it clear that He doesn’t change. So, what describes or explains our understanding of the Old Testament and the time we are living in today?
Malachi 3:6: “For I [am] the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” God makes it clear in this verse that He doesn’t change. We can take comfort in that fact. He is a Just God, but He still acts toward us in love. This means we can depend on Him. We can rely on God being God. What we don’t always realize is that, while God doesn’t change, our understanding and the context in which we view Him may.
Luke 12:47: “And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not [himself], neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many [stripes].” Something the Bible makes clear is that God always judges according to the situation. He doesn’t impose as harsh a punishment on someone who acts out of ignorance as one who acts in the full knowledge of what they are doing. With the knowledge of sin, and the understanding of righteousness, comes the expectation of those people conducting their lives accordingly. To live a life in outright rebellion while understanding the full truth of God and His will naturally calls for judgment.
Luke 12:48: “But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few [stripes]. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” This verse, which immediately follows in the book of Luke, gives us the picture of the ignorant servant—he didn’t receive as severe a punishment as the servant who knew. The next sentence tells us why. It says, “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required.” With a greater revelation comes greater responsibility. We see this played out time and time again in the Old Testament. Prophets did great miracles in God’s name, like calling fire down from Heaven. In the Israelite’s exodus from Egypt and their time in the wilderness, God performed mighty miracles to provide for His people. He divided the Red Sea so they could cross when leaving Egypt and provided them manna from Heaven in the wilderness, and they still rebelled. These people, in a sense, had seen God reveal Himself in mighty ways. Those who rebelled in the face of this had a greater weight of responsibility on them. What seemed to us like a harsh response, was a just response in the light of God’s revelation.
Proverbs 29:1: “He, that being often reproved hardeneth [his] neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” Was God still gracious and merciful to Israel, even in their rebellion? Yes. We saw time and time again where God extended them mercy even though they were in direct contradiction to His will. God was merciful, but He still has limits as to what He can allow. There comes a point where mercy has overextended itself. Israel was God’s chosen people. This was a great honor, but also a great responsibility. As a people in close proximity to God, and representatives for God, they were in line for a swifter punishment than those who were not—in the same way you discipline your own kids, but are less likely to discipline another’s.
2 Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” God’s desire is to extend His grace to all of us. We get a sense of this grace through the opportunity for repentance. We get a sense of His mercy with each new day. His mercies are new every morning. We wake up bathed in His mercy. God is always the same, but God has multiple aspects to His character. By His justice, I receive the results of my actions. By His mercy, I’m given the time and opportunity to choose the right path. By His grace, I’m offered the gift of redemption through His Son. God’s justice is just, whether it’s Old Testament or not.
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Malachi 3:6: “For I [am] the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”
Luke 12:47: “And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not [himself], neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many [stripes].”
Luke 12:48: “But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few [stripes]. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”
Proverbs 29:1: “He, that being often reproved hardeneth [his] neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”
2 Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”