But couldn't God have foreseen all of this? Why would a timeless, all-knowing God have had to change his plan? How could he have possibly been surprised that "man couldn't sort the message out in the Old Testament?" Didn't God create man and draft the message? And how could God be surprised by anything?
He did foresee it and has never been surprised. We have to remember that although man was created without knowing evil and with free will, his becoming aware of evil, confused by it, his free will is still respected. It's only through trusting in the One who is not confused that man finds his way out of the confusion. The polar opposites of white and black pigment in the "gray paint" become clear only when seen through the eyes of the One who knows them both.
Scripture identifies God in basically three terms: Spirit, Love and "all consuming fire". So why the anger, "jealousy" and judgement of the Old Testament? Love is expressed in affection for those we have relationship with, like our children, but that same love is expressed in judgement on those who would destroy those we love. As I mentioned, the nations God judged were routinely burning their children alive, cooking them (as in Molech worship), and would certainly have killed the Hebrews. Every society has harsh judgement for people like this. They have exercised their free choice and chosen to align with the originator of the "black pigment". "Jealousy" is intolerance of that evil and it's originator. What parent would not be "jealous" of a polar opposite enemy who had deceived his children into aligning with him and his hate for the "white pigment".
As to the "all consuming fire": fire will warm you and cook your food or it can destroy. We see an example of this at work in the "Exodus". The "Fire" served His "children", yet attacked the "gods" of evil unrelentingly until each one was exposed as fraud and "consumed". All through the Old Testament the message is about the polar opposites of good and evil and intolerance for compromise. "Gray paint" was never God's plan, but it certainly became man's. A God of love cannot tolerate a god of hate, especially when His children are at stake. If Love brings life and hate brings death, what happens when people reject love and adopt hate? Death follows. How does a Father of love rescue those who, by legal right, have chosen death and there's recompense due? It's like a judge sitting in judgement of his own children in his courtroom when there's no doubt about their guilt. Pure love, without denying justice, would pronounce the guilt and judgement, then come down from the judgement seat and take the punishment justice calls for.
So why didn't man "get the message"? Many did. Those who trusted the source of simplicity of the "relationship" principle of trust, "faith", in God found a connection spirit to Spirit, and the supernatural of God became manifest to them. The prophecies, many of which are purposely hidden, become obvious. The other prophecies, especially those dictating the history of Israel and Judah before it happened, and the future unfolding, give evidence that the One revealing them is outside of our time domain and not subjected to it. What He required of man was always very simple and is expressed in ten Laws of love. We learn from the symbolic placement of these Ten Commandments INSIDE Ark of the Covenant that these become statements of fact when we walk in relationship with Love. "You will not murder", etc. BESIDE the Ark, Outside the relationship with Love, was placed the Law of Moses with it's judgements for infractions. There were no judgments written into the Ten INSIDE the Ark.
This is also the message in the New Testament, but manifested in the example of the One demonstrating Love, faith, relationship, justice, mercy, grace, non-judgement, etc., every aspect of God and every aspect of how man should and can live in relationship with Him and each other.
As I indicated in my other post, from the beginning in Genesis, God never intended for man to judge man, as Jesus makes clear, just the opposite.
I hope this helps explain how people like me interpret scripture and define Christianity. It has nothing to do with politics or subjugation. Jesus always respected man's right to free will. "I put before you life and death, choose life."
