Is the Old Testament God different?

[stacymay]

I'm a bit new at reading the Bible and studying it. I'm reading it chapter by chapter and read the New Testament first, and am now in the Old Testament. I'm in Numbers, and it seems to get more and more discouraging as I go along. God commanding people to stone a man to death because he picked up sticks on the Sabbath day, swallowing children and wives into the earth because their father/husband did something wrong, and all those other laws about sacrificing and being unclean for all these strange reasons (which often have NOTHING to do with health, bee tee dubs)... it's just so odd to me. Are these things out of line with the character of God? It's also always confused me as to why He showed Himself plainly (e.g. as a cloud, speaking to people directly, etc.) back then but doesn't anymore. The Old Testament and New Testament seem to paint two very different pictures of God. What should I make of this?

 

[football5680]

You have to look at the time periods and what was going on. God chose Abraham and he would be with his descendants. The Israelites constantly disobeyed but god was always willing to accept their apology and forgive them. The old testament took place over about 1400 years when the Israelites had to fight to survive and they turned away from god many times. In the New Testament the focus is just on Jesus and no wars were taking place. The focus wasn't on Israel as a nation, it was on Jesus. God does show his anger when Jesus is crucified and the sky darkened and there was an earthquake.

If the New Testament taught about the development of a Christian nation then the stories would be similar. Like in 300 AD Constantine saw a cross in the sky and Jesus came to him and said in this sign you shall conquer. This was one of the most important events in the history of Christianity aside from the biblical events. But it isn't in the New Testament because it doesn't teach us anything, and the writings had stopped about 200 years before that time.

Some of the other teachings like what to eat and what not to do were in place so that God's people would stand out from the other surrounding people. A lot of the Commandments were there so that they didn't adopt foreign gods. If you start accepting foreign customs then eventually you will accept their gods. This was evident in the old testament. Right now you are in Numbers but later on you will see what I am talking about.

Just realize that everything god does is good and it has a purpose. The people who died are not damned to hell because they died before they could be enlightened.

For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit. (1 Peter 4:6)

 

[EGordo]

I was talking to a friend about this. I believe everything God does is righteous, even in His anger.
We know the wages of sin is death.
In the New Testament we now have Jesus as the intercessor on our behalf. We have the Lord's grace and mercy now because He sits at the right hand of the Father. The fact that the wages of sin is death hasn't changed. What has changed is the sacrifice Jesus made for us.

God was trying to make His people sanctified or set apart from the rest the world. It may have seemed harsh but the Law of Moses is what made people realize they were sinning against God. Sin is not of God so He had to make them realize the things they were doing (disobedience, etc).
Also Jesus said he would manifest Himself to those who love Him and follow Him. He's still doing that today. For example I had a dream directly about Him which showed me what it takes to wield the power given to Him from the Father.(It takes someone without sin because a sinful thought or word could create havoc). I was shown this.

 

[x141]

In the OT, we find that the perception of God, who is our father, is from the view point of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Jesus was the truth, the tree of life, and in demonstration showed the love of God that was hidden from us, or had become crucified to us, the tree of knowledge having become the tree that was in the midst or the focus of our garden, rather than the tree of life. But with all this, nothing is out of order.

 

[REPHAIAHPEDAHEL]

He is not different. He is the same.