The Daily Guide
God's New Testament people
Indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God: Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?"
Romans 9:20 - NKJV
I hear about people who get really bothered by things that went on in Old Testament times. In the books of the Bible recording the history of God's people in ancient times they read things that they choke on. They allow an unpalatable morsel in the Old Testament to totally distract them from the feast at the table of the New Testament or the Bible's books of wisdom or the books of the prophets.
This situation reminds me of an old story of a wild frontier evangelist. He was interrupted by someone at the back of the church shouting, "Tell us about Hell!" The evangelist replied, "All right but first let me tell you about Heaven." He then preached on Heaven and presented God's plan of salvation. His message was wonderfully received. After the altar call he looked up and said, "Now shall I tell you about Hell?" "No, thanks," the one who had interrupted him cried out, "I'm not going there any more!" God bless him, the heckler had got saved and knew he didn't need to worry about what Hell was like any more! Act.20:32.
You need to realise that for you some difficult events of the Old Testament are of academic interest only. It can satisfy an intellectual curiosity to understand them but it has no implication or practical significance to your life now at all. For the time being, let them alone and revel instead in the glorious conditions God has brought you into through Christ. There are things attributed to God in the Old Testament that mystify me - it is beyond me why God did them, said them or backed them. Yet I don't bother myself too much with them - after all I live in a millennium AFTER Christ and not in a millennium BEFORE Him! Joh.1:16-17.
Feast on the Word of Grace
Copyright © 2001 P.F.(Simon)Measures
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