I
completed a goal of mine for this year.
I read through the whole bible. I
have read the New Testament several times but never the Old Testament. Some of the OT books were unfamiliar to me. I would like to share a few thoughts. Please know that these are my thoughts based
on who I am and where I live.
1. I sometimes feel that people ignore the Old
Testament because we live in the New Testament age. God is the same yesterday, today and forever
going forward. Yes, He instituted some
changes and now we can be justified through the sacrificial blood of Jesus, but
there is still much to learn about the person God is by reading the Old
Testament.
2. God takes
a very serious view on sin. The penalty
for sin is death. Sometimes, I think
very little of what my sin costs. In the
Old Testament, animals had to die to pay for the cost of sin. The person was making a sin offering had to
place their hands on the animal to identify with it. How much more would we realize the price of
our misdeeds when we had to watch something die as a result of them? Recently, I was in Talamanca Costa Rica and I
watched a pig get slaughtered. It was
the first time I have watched something die.
Well, something other than bug. I
realize pigs are not something Jews would sacrifice but for me, it carried significance. This animal died so people could eat. My sin means someone had to die. It is a steep penalty.
3. I marvel at the specifics of rituals God
established to appease His wrath. So
many sacrifices had to be performed in certain ways. I can’t help but wonder at some details. Certain parts of animals could be eaten, others
could not. When the sacrificial animal
was a bird, the ritual was quite different. The bird was slaughtered by a thumb
being pushed into its neck, and the head being wrung off. A second bird would
then be burnt on the altar as a whole sacrifice. Some things seem very random to me.
4. When I read through Kings and Chronicles, I
couldn’t help but notice most of the Kings of Israel and Judah did “what
was evil in the sight of the Lord.”
While reading this, I kept wondering why God kept allowing it all to
happen. I suppose that is the way many
of us feel now.
5. When I read the Prophets, I got the answer. God was being patient. 2 Peter 3:9 says that God waits for all to
come to repentance. Still, I believe God’s
patience is also a way for Him to be blameless when His wrath does come. If you forgive someone 7 x 70 times, can you
not be justified for doing something about it after that?
6. When I read about God’s judgment and punishment
of Israel and Judah, I couldn’t
help but feel a bit of tenderness mixed with regret for it all. It was as if God was saying, “It wasn’t
supposed to be like this.” I don’t mean
God made a mistake. Simply that God’s
people had every opportunity and chance to be His people and He would be their
God. Nevertheless, they preferred to
prostitute themselves to other gods. If God has some human emotions, maybe I felt the hurt God felt due to their rejection.
7. God’s punishment would go to the fullest
extent, He would not hold back, and Israel
and Judah
were severely punished. Also, when God
poured out His wrath on His Son on the cross, I believe Jesus carried that
penalty to the fullest extent. God doesn't do thing half way.
8. God used Babylon and other countries to do His dirty
work to punish His people. Still, God
judged them when all was said and done. They
were punished for how they treated His people.
God is sovereign.
9. I am reminded again that we need to give God the
honor and praise He deserves. I don’t
always do it but I must. He is the God
who created the universe. He knows each
of us better than we know ourselves.
10. God sent His Son to die for our sins. He did not do it simply so His creation could
be with Him for eternity. If we think
that, we are being short sighted and arrogant.
Ultimately, He wants the praise He deserves. We are His people. He is our God. He was God before He chose us. Therefore, it is all about Him and not
us. To His honor and glory!
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