Is the God of the OT Angry and Different than Jesus?

The reputation of the God of the Old Testament is commonly viewed as an unreasonable and unrelatable tyrant. Even those mostly unfamiliar with the Bible can give examples of what they consider extreme, inexcusable, or unexplainable acts of judgement.

Under the Mosaic Law, sins we have long seen as common, were punishable by death. This makes us uneasy, especially in our current cultural environment where even the hint of judgement brings discomfort. We have no context for a God that commands the Israelites to wipe out the entirety of the Canaanite people and take over their land. These kinds of passages are sometimes hard for us to make sense of. Why would God not only allow such a thing, but in fact command this extreme act of violence? This not only is at odds with what we view as just or fair but also with the gentle and lowly Jesus we believe is shown to us in the New Testament. So, how do we make sense of this? Let’s look at a few points to help us think through and resolve this seeming contradiction.

First, even though the Old Testament is full of judgement, God is also extremely gracious and patient throughout. He endures much sin. He is constantly promising and wanting to bless. He is not vindictive or a petty tyrant. He wants what is good to flourish, for his people to do right, and to bless and provide promises for them. God is gracious! When God reveals himself to Moses in Exodus 34 he says,

“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”

So, while there is judgement in the Old Testament, there is also God’s grace and promises permeating throughout.

Second, we often view the New Testament, and specifically Jesus, as only proffering grace and love. And we absolutely see the culmination of love and grace at the cross. But Jesus spoke of hell and judgement often. In passages like Luke 16, Mark 9, and Matthew 25 he boldly addresses the judgement that will come to those that do not hear his words and repent. He paints vivid pictures of eternal torment and the gravity of their predicament as sinners,

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ (Mark 9:42-43)

His heart is for sinners to repent so he can extend mercy and eternal life! But even as his heart is for them, he does not excuse or cover the seriousness of their sin or the judgement that is sure to come if they continue in it.

Third, the Old Testament can often seem harsh or disconnected from the tone or content of the New Testament. But the Old Testament is one continuous story that leads up to and finds fulfillment in Jesus. The God who delivers judgement and extends promises in Genesis through Malachi, is the same God who sends his Son, Jesus Christ, to save sinners and give them eternal life. The Old Testament is not where God is in an angry phase but then flips the script and becomes gracious in the New Testament. The same gracious God is planning for the salvation in Jesus right from Genesis, from the very beginning.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, we need to process judgement through the lens of a holy and righteous God. We see God’s judgement as harsh because we do not have a good understanding of the seriousness of our sin. All sins, from lying to rebellion, murder to theft, and every other sin, great or small, are serious. And we are all guilty of so many of these sins. When we can see sin for what it really is, only then will we have an appropriate view of judgement. When we recognize it as a treason against God, how it is ruinous to his creation, we can then begin to understand and sympathize with why God is a loving God who judges.

So, if we put these pieces together, I think it can help us make sense of what seems to be harshness or judgement in the OT, and understand how that fits together in the full character of God.

“Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:18-19.