GOD of the Old Testament vs. GOD of the New Testament Part VI

Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel Chapter 3-4)

 ¹ Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

⁴ Then a herald cried aloud: “To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, ⁵ that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; ⁶ and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”
⁷ So at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, and lyre, in symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. –Daniel 3:1,4-7

Nebuchadnezzar was the King of Babylon. He had captured Israel and taken them to Babylon (see chapters 1-2 for more background). Although God used him to deal with rebellious Israel, this (idol) did not please God. As we read the whole account of Nebuchadnezzar, we see God’s hand on his life. God could have cast him off when His plan was finished, but God chose to spare, and bless this heathen King.   

 ²⁸ All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. ²⁹ At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. ³⁰ The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?”
 ³¹ While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! ³² And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.”
 ³³ That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.
 ³⁴ And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever:

      For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
      And His kingdom is from generation to generation.
       ³⁵ All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing;
      He does according to His will in the army of heaven
      And among the inhabitants of the earth.
      No one can restrain His hand
      Or say to Him, “What have You done?”
 ³⁶ At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. ³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down. –Daniel 4:28-36

I am saved by God’s grace and mercy, not because I am a good person.

I am what I am; and more importantly, God is who He is. I am a sinner worthy of death and damnation, but God is a God of love who reached out to me, just as He reaches out to all who will receive Him.

No man can convince me that God is not justified in what He does. I am the recipient of His great love. I had the same choice as everyone else. 

You my friend have to make a choice as well. What will you choose?  

GOD of the Old Testament vs. GOD of the New Testament Part V

Nineveh (Jonah 1-4)

¹ Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ² “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” ³ But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. –Jonah 1:1-3

Nineveh was an un-Godly Assyrian city. These people were known for their brutality and they had oppressed Israel for years. So why did God want Jonah to go and preach to them?

Because as bad as they were, God loved them!

He loved them and He knew they would repent. He could have chosen to destroy them but in love, He sent a means of escape. Jonah did not want to go; he knew that if they repented, God would save them. He hated them but God chose to send him anyway.

⁵ So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. ⁶ Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. ⁷ And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying,

   Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. ⁸ But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. ⁹ Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?

¹⁰ Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. –Jonah 3:5-10

In chapter four we see how angry Jonah became over God sparing the city. We also see how the Lord sought to teach Jonah about His love. This book ends with verse 11.

And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?” –Jonah 4:11

What does this say about God?

If you still see God as a mean, overbearing tyrant, you are either deceived or your heart is so hard you can’t see the truth. Over and over God has shown His great mercy, why would you not want to see Him as He really is?

GOD of the Old Testament vs. GOD of the New Testament Part IV

Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:16-32)

For the sake of time and the purpose of this post, I want to focus on verses 22-32.

²² Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. ²³ And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴ Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? ²⁵ Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
²⁶ So the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.”
²⁷ Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: ²⁸ Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?”
So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.”
²⁹ And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.”
³⁰ Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
³¹ And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.”
³² Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.”

Sodom was a wicked and vile place. Obviously these people were even more wicked than the other people in the region. We know idolatry was the norm, we also know many of these religions sacrificed their children to false gods. Homosexuality was practiced by many in that region, but Sodom stood out above the rest in their evil behavior.

God knew what they were doing and He determined to destroy this wickedness. However, we see He is still willing to spare the city if there are a handful of righteous men here. God is willing to show mercy on what was the most evil of cities on the earth at that time.

Does this sound like a tyrant, or a loving God willing to go after a single lost sheep?