Do you think of the God of the Old Testament as angry, wrathful, and vengeful? If so, consider that he describes himself as “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Be careful not to misread God. He is a tender, loving Father who has compassion for you in all your hardships.
What do you think of the God of the Old Testament?
Does he seem different to you than in the New Testament? Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and we all know that Jesus was full of tender compassion, but what comes to mind when you think of the God of the Old Testament? Fire and smoke? Thunder on Mount Sinai? Curses and apocalypses? Rods of reproof and correction, weird visions, and strange commands? How about impatience, intolerance, anger, hail, and lightning? Well, think again because there’s far more to the picture.
Consider this: it was the God of Moses, the Holy One of Israel, the subject of Ezekiel’s visions and Daniel’s disasters – it was the God of the Old Testament who forbid Israel to curse deaf people, or trip the blind, or deprive the poor, or rob the fatherless, or oppress the weak, or make widows objects of prey. That’s right. And in the ancient world in which women were treated like property, the God of the Old Testament showed an exceptional compassion for them. He took pity on Hagar, an outcast sobbing in the desert. He reached out to Hannah, who was weeping so bitterly that she appeared drunk over disappointment for lack of children. He dealt tenderly with Tamar, a victim of incest. He soothed the hurting heart of Naomi in her old age and loneliness. And he honored Ruth, a foreigner, and placed her in the line of Christ. The God of the Old Testament even had a special heart for people with disabilities. He made sure that Mephibosheth, a man crippled in both feet, had a place at the king’s table.
I mean, look at this: when Moses was on Mount Sinai with this God of smoke, and fire, and thunder; when Moses asked to see him, what did God do? Did he place Moses in the cleft of a rock, and say, “I am the Lord, the Lord, the God of anger and vengeance, wrath and exacting holiness!” Is that what God said? No. No, not at all. God placed Moses in the cleft of a rock, and as he passed by he proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Wow! That is from Exodus 34:6. And it shows how the God of the Old Testament identified himself.
I tell you, the God of the Old Testament is tender beyond description. He not only makes his compassion known, he pours out his love and mercy. In Ezekiel, he is shown as pouring out blessings, like showers. He not only chooses but longs to be gracious to his people. He desires, yearns, and even aches to show you the abundance of his care and compassion. This is who God is. And please, please do not misread him. We must not misjudge or misinterpret him, for if we do, we will grow to mistrust him in our afflictions and even despise him. If we misread him, we will fail to cling to him through our worst of afflictions!
So if you are experiencing hardship today, consider these words of hope from Psalm 103. Remember them, impress them on your heart, for as the psalmist says, “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love…he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.” So in your praise of God today, remember that not only does Jesus take pity on the weak and hurting, the glorious God of the Old Testament does, as well. And why shouldn’t they? The Father in the Old Testament and the Son in the New are one and the same. That’s your good word today from joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends