I love the Bible. One of my greatest joys in life is studying, preaching, and talking with those who are interesting about the Word of God. I love all of the Bible, Old and New Testament alike. I confess, I struggle with much of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, but I understand their importance to understanding and participating in the work of God. As I’ve noted many times recently, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful… (2 Tim. 3:16)” From Genesis to Revelation, it all has purpose and points to practical application for those who are seeking and serving the Lord.
One of the things I have always enjoyed most about the Bible is the stories. Many of them, particularly those in the Old Testament, are ready made for cinema. I found them fascinating on flannel graph, so I have to imagine they’d be even more engaging on my high definition TV. These stories reveal amazing ways God has acted in the past to direct and protect the righteous and exact justice upon the wicked. It’s sobering and inspiring stuff.
“Going Old Testament” means enacting severe, merciless retribution or total destruction. Retribution is a consistent theme… until Jesus.
One of my favorite stories is the story of the confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mt Carmel. The full story can be found in 1 Kings 18:16-45. I will summarize the high points here. Elijah, the prophet of Yahweh, challenges King Ahab and the 150 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah to a duel, of sorts. They each would build an altar to their god, prepare a sacrifice on it, then call on the name of their god. They agree, “The god who answers by fire – he is God.” For the first half of the day, the prophets of Baal and Asherah dance around the altar and shout to their god. It doesn’t go well and Elijah starts talking a little trash: “Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” Nothing they do works. When it’s Elijah’s turn, he arranges the wood and the sacrifice then has four large jars filled with water and poured on the wood and the offering three times. He then prays that God would make Himself known to validate Elijah’s words and deeds, to reveal that He is God, and to draw the people back to Him, and BOOM, “the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.” Elijah then takes another drastic step. He has all 550 false prophets arrested, takes them down into the valley, and slaughters them all.
I believe this story happened. It provides a very graphic picture of how God worked in and through His people at that point in time. And, while that story is a one-off, it is not necessarily unique. The Lord God was extremely hands on in the Old Testament. There are a lot of stories of divine judgement and punishment of the wicked and total destruction of enemies. They are so common that “Going Old Testament” means enacting severe, merciless retribution or total destruction. Retribution is a consistent theme… until Jesus.
JESUS CHANGES EVERYTHING! The stories of the New Testament have a decidedly different tone and texture than those of the Old Testament. They are about the same God who is still working to create and preserve a people to serve and live in relationship with Him, but the way He deals with humanity shifts. At the outset of the New Testament we are given four gospels, books filled with the good news of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Some of those stories are equally as violent as the stories of the Old Testament, but rather than God bringing about retribution on the wicked, Jesus freely chooses to take it upon Himself. He is falsely accused and insulted by His enemies, yet He doesn’t return the offense or offer a defense. He is unjustly sentenced to be brutally beaten and executed by crucifixion, but He doesn’t call down fire from heaven. Even when He returns from the grave, rather than seeking revenge on those who wronged Him, He offers redemption and restoration and sends His followers off into the world to make known the good news of the coming of the Kingdom of God and right relationship between God and humanity.
It has been said that “The arc of Scripture bends towards grace.”
Everything changes in the shadow of the cross. No longer is retribution the standard mode of operation for the Lord God or for those who bear His name. No longer are destruction and judgement certain or desirable. God graciously took the burden of the terrible punishment we deserved upon Himself, providing us with the path to salvation and the pattern that is to dictate how we perceive and treat each other, whether friend or foe.
It has been said that “The arc of Scripture bends towards grace.” There will come a day when all of humanity will stand before and give an answer to God; Judgement will not be delayed forever. But in this moment, God is not “going Old Testament” on humanity, nor has He authorized His followers to do so in His name. In the sacrificial death of Jesus, God has gone above and beyond to pursue peace and right relationship with us. He calls us to do the same.
