The Ruthlessness of God

The Bible offers an interesting dichotomy when we compare God of the Old Testament with God of the New Testament.  Everyone seems to focus on what they view as the lovey dovey God in the NT.  What they like to ignore is the ruthlessness of God in the OT.

Are we talking about two different Gods here?  They can't be the same God can they?

Not only can they but they are.  Let me explain.

In the OT we see several times where the Israelites are punished because they didn't follow God's orders.  One example is King Saul.  Before a certain battle God told Saul to kill every man, woman, child, and animal.  Wow, that seems pretty cruel by today's standards.  Killing women and children?  That is what God told Saul to do.

And what happened.  Saul didn't follow orders.  He and his men let some live.  So what did God do?  He took the kingdom from Saul and gave it to David.  Saul lost his kingdom because he didn't follow God's orders.

Now I just ran across another example.  Ben-Hadad had attacked the Israelites on multiple occasions.  He was an enemy of God.  God helped King Ahab defeat Ben-Hadad twice.  After the second time King Ahab had Ben-Hadad at his mercy and instead of killing him he makes a treaty with him and lets him go.  And what did God do? 

1 Kings 20:37-42(NKJV)

37And he found another man, and said, “Strike me, please.” So the man struck him, inflicting a wound. 

38Then the prophet departed and waited for the king by the road, and disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes. 

39Now as the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, ‘Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’ 

40While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.” Then the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it.”

41And he hastened to take the bandage away from his eyes; and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets. 

42Then he said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because you have let slip out of your hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.’”

 

So how do we square that with God of the NT?  In my mind it is pretty simple.  Notice that when God calls for total destruction it is destruction of those who are enemies of God. 

In the NT it is no different.  God loves those who love Him and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  God also plainly tells us that if we reject Christ then we are enemies of God.  Notice that no one was forced to become an enemy of God.  Every single person on this earth who is an enemy of God did so by their own choosing.  And what do we know about how God deals with His enemies? 

Now look at what Jesus said in the very first gospel, Matthew.

Matthew 10:34-36(NKJV)

34“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 

35For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 

36and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ £ 

Even Jesus, the Prince of Peace, uses the imagery of being armed..  His stated purpose is to make people choose sides.   Either for or against God.  He will force them to choose to be on God's side or they will choose to be enemies of God, but again it is their choice.

So what do you choose?  Have you accepted Jesus yet?  Have you declared which side you are on?  Why not do it right now?  Just tell Jesus that you would like to be on His side.  "Dear Jesus…."