The God of the Old Testament
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One of the problems people have with the Bible is the perceived difference between the vision we have of God in the Old Testament and the vision we have of God in the New Testament. Notice, I say “perceived”. God is actually the same in both.
We generally think of the God of the Old Testament as a God of wrath and the God of the New Testament as a God of mercy. But, is this accurate? One could look at the book of Judges and say that the God of the Old Testament is very merciful because He gave the Israelites chance after chance after chance. Likewise, one could look at the message of the Gospels and say that the God of the New Testament is very strict because he proclaims only one way to Heaven. If you miss Jesus, you’re out.
So, if God is the same across the Bible, how do we answer the issue of the conquest of Canaan? God is often criticized (do we really feel like we can do this!?) for his command to completely destroy the Amorite, Hittites, Jebusites, etc. But, is this fair?
This issue came to me as I was reading the Word recently. I was reading in Exodus and a phrase stuck out to me. God is discussing the conquest with Moses and he says, “I will hand over to you the people who live in the land and you will drive them out before you.” (Exodus 23:31) Drive out? Didn’t God just say to kill them all?
As I prayed about it, the Lord brought to my mind another passage: Rahab.
“Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them, ‘I know that the Lord has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.” (Joshua 2:8-11)
So, the people in the land knew about God. They knew who He was. They knew what He had done. They knew the promise He had made to Israel to give them their land and that He’d already destroyed three armies in the process of keeping His promise.
It occurred to me then that God didn’t desire to destroy the Canaanites out of hatred, but out of a desire to protect Israel’s holiness to Him. “Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices.” (Exodus 23:24) The fidelity of the Israelites was critical to God’s plan to save humanity through Jesus.
The other nations had plenty of warning about what was coming, and a whole generation to leave the land or turn to the Lord (as Rahab did). Thus, God’s judgment was on those who refused to turn to Him or make way for His promise. Through their rejection, they added to their pagan-worshiping guilt and rejected the plan of God outright. Therefore, God says, “My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jubusites, and I will wipe them out.” (Exodus 23:23)
God says the same today, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever doe not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God‘s one and only Son.” (John 3:17-18)
Remember, the amazing thing is not that a God of love should allow people to be condemned, but rather that a God of justice should sacrifice himself to save those who stand condemned already.
One of the problems people have with the Bible is the perceived difference between the vision we have of God in the Old Testament and the vision we have of God in the New Testament. Notice, I say “perceived”. God is actually the same in both.
We generally think of the God of the Old Testament as a God of wrath and the God of the New Testament as a God of mercy. But, is this accurate? One could look at the book of Judges and say that the God of the Old Testament is very merciful because He gave the Israelites chance after chance after chance. Likewise, one could look at the message of the Gospels and say that the God of the New Testament is very strict because he proclaims only one way to Heaven. If you miss Jesus, you’re out.
So, if God is the same across the Bible, how do we answer the issue of the conquest of Canaan? God is often criticized (do we really feel like we can do this!?) for his command to completely destroy the Amorite, Hittites, Jebusites, etc. But, is this fair?
This issue came to me as I was reading the Word recently. I was reading in Exodus and a phrase stuck out to me. God is discussing the conquest with Moses and he says, “I will hand over to you the people who live in the land and you will drive them out before you.” (Exodus 23:31) Drive out? Didn’t God just say to kill them all?
As I prayed about it, the Lord brought to my mind another passage: Rahab.
“Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them, ‘I know that the Lord has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.” (Joshua 2:8-11)
So, the people in the land knew about God. They knew who He was. They knew what He had done. They knew the promise He had made to Israel to give them their land and that He’d already destroyed three armies in the process of keeping His promise.
It occurred to me then that God didn’t desire to destroy the Canaanites out of hatred, but out of a desire to protect Israel’s holiness to Him. “Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices.” (Exodus 23:24) The fidelity of the Israelites was critical to God’s plan to save humanity through Jesus.
The other nations had plenty of warning about what was coming, and a whole generation to leave the land or turn to the Lord (as Rahab did). Thus, God’s judgment was on those who refused to turn to Him or make way for His promise. Through their rejection, they added to their pagan-worshiping guilt and rejected the plan of God outright. Therefore, God says, “My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jubusites, and I will wipe them out.” (Exodus 23:23)
God says the same today, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever doe not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God‘s one and only Son.” (John 3:17-18)
Remember, the amazing thing is not that a God of love should allow people to be condemned, but rather that a God of justice should sacrifice himself to save those who stand condemned already.
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