to say this is like saying God has two sets of standards- one for jews and one for gentiles.do you not realize that church is part of God's chosen people? if its wrong for the anyone to murder whether in word or deed and no one dares disagree, why is it that the mark of true worship and seal of the creator's authority is spit upon? (I am speaking to myself as much as anyone)
why is it we curse the sabbath and in many cases those who worship the sabbath and denounce those who love God as heretic or God forbid obedient. stryder said it himself, legalism is a heart attitude. the old testament (just as valid today as the new) speak of God delighting in those outside of israel who bound themselves to God and kept his sabbath (Isaiah 56.)
in response to what you said about God changing: "For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. Malachi 3:6
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. James 1:17
God neither changes in character or in how he deals with men. the men of the old testament were to live by faith as the men of the new testament and we who live now are to live by faith. see the those who were the true Israel of God were those who held to the faith of abraham those who looked to the promised seed- whether they were of Israel or not and we now who are of the church look back in faith in the promised seed who came and will come again. another interesting thing comes into mind when speaking of the faith of abraham his faith was coupled with action- he acted in faith in james its says the profession of faith without works is dead just one cannot justify himself with works but only with the grace of God. I say this to let you know that faith is more complex than some profession we make at one point our live or even throughout our lives; we must bear fruit in accordance with the grace given us. in romans paul spoke of the jews as a nation not being able to fulfill what God had for them but that the Gentiles were given this chance- he mention that they were given a law of righteousness but did not pursue it by faith but as if it were by works. in another place in romans he speaks that a man is a jew if he is one inwardly circumcised of heart and still in another place speaks of gentiles being grafted into the olive tree of salvation- these all serve to illustrate that gentiles and Jews were spiritual israel in christ; when you said that sabbath were a perpetual sign between god and the children of israel, you are right in the sense that israel is much more than a nation it is the bodied of those who believe and are sanctified of God in the old testament and new testament and today.
you also misunderstood the reason God came off as so ruthless to the canaanites in the old testament- they were clearly being judged by God to wicked nations who piled up God's wrath for themselves. when one looks at the account of sodom and Gommorah God though he knows the hearts of men went in person to the city to see whether or not the reports of their activity were true; this shows that he is a fair judge. another way to look at the seeming unjust treatment of the surrounding nations was that God was protecting the bloodline within the holy nation through which the seed of promise was going to come.(jesus) as well as to remind us how much God hates sin. it also serves to remind us that as christians even today we are to be a peculiar people( again I am speaking to myself as well)
I don't disagree. Though God himself doesn't change, it would be wrong for us to say the things in the OT did not change.
Eye for an eye was one example. Another would be not taking oaths, vows, and to not swear but let your yes be a yes and your no be a no.
Stryder06 might call that a provision, I call it a change. Though it was God's intention to do so all along. But nonetheless it is a change.
Here are some definitions that Webster has...
:to make different in some particular
: alter; transform
:to give a different position, course, or direction to
:to replace with another
:to make a shift
:to pass from one phase to another
:to undergo transformation, transition, or substitution <winter
changed to spring>
synonyms change, alter, vary, modify mean to make or become different.
Same goes with the sacrificial system... it has changed. Though IMO technically it has transformed. Jesus is the final sacrifice. I also beleive the same in regards with the Sabbath. The Sabbath has transformed and Jesus is our rest.
I never once have cursed the Sabbath, nor do I oppose those who do keep the Sabbath is in the day.