www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Scripture and Patristic Writings Troubled.

I have begun for the very first time in my life, to read and study the bible. I have been doing so for only a few months. As I read I have discovered that I am greatly troubled by an overall theme.

Why is it that God is so vengeful and destructive in the old testament, yet is so loving and compassionate through his son Jesus Christ?

Is it simply because God promised the Jews certain things through his covenants, and that they were only able to fulfill these covenants through bloodshed?

Or is it as simple as His ways are not our ways? Much in the same manner as the story of Job?

In either case, I still find myself troubled with either answer.

Infact, several non-believer friends of mine have brought up their belief that the God of the Old Testatment is not the same as the New. And right now, to me, it seems like the only plausible explanation. Yet I cannot believe this! To say the least, I am very troubled. I want to believe, and many misconceptions have been cleared up through my study and research but it seems I have hit a brick wall with this concept.

Any direction would be greatly appreciated!

The Old Testament was inspired by God and He is the author. However, it was written by human beings who did not necessarily have theological understanding of God. Take for instance this passage from
Ps 137:8-9
"O daughter Babylon, you devastator,/happy shall they be who pay you back..../ who take your little ones/ and dash them against the rock!"

This is a prime example of why we cannot take scripture literally in the sense some do. this is a warning, a statement, of God's anger.
I don't think our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ wants us to dash little babies on rocks, do you?

Consider what is meant by "I have told you a million times". You probably did not say it a million times. Exaggeration to show the point.

This is why, whenever one reads the Old Testament, you want to read it with Christ in mind. Simply because He is the fulfillment and without Him, the Old Testament theology is imperfect.

Dear Friends,

Yes, excellent advice, doingmybest!

St Benedict understands the above text about dashing the little ones against the rocks in terms of destroying bad thoughts within ourselves as they arise.

The Old Testament also reflected a growing awareness among the chosen people concerning God's Will and that it did NOT involve bloodshed, multiple wives etc.

God even forbade King David in certain respects pertaining to His Temple because of the blood on his hands etc.

And God's "vengefulness" in the Old Testament is often tempered by His Mercy to teach us certain lessons.

The God Who thundered on Mt Sinai was also the God Who told Moses to enter a break in the rocks so that He might cover Him with His Hand as He passed over him since no one who saw God could do so and live!

I think that is very poignant!

Then there is Abraham conversing with God to turn back His anger at the city when God "gives in" to Abraham each time he mentions a number of righteous that might be found in the city and so God should not destroy it for their sake.

Then there is Solomon who offered 1,000 sacrifices to his God and was rewarded with his wish for wisdom. Many later Christian saints followed his example to offer 1,000 prayers daily or weekly etc.

God's authority was affirmed in the Old Testament to show the children of Israel that their God was the only true One - and this in the midst of polytheistic societies who claimed their gods had authority on the basis of their ability to punish etc.

It was the Prophet Elias who definitively used the pagan perspective against them when he called for a "contest" between God and the pagan idols i.e. to set fire to sacrifices.

Elias even had the wood of his sacrifice doused with water several times before God answered his prayer for fire quickly etc.

Such physical manifestations of God's Power were really the only convincing evidence for His Reality for the pagans who saw Divine power in nature's often destructive, powerful forces.

This is why the pagan Roman soldier, standing beneath the Cross of Christ, could say, "This truly was the Son of God" on the basis of the darkness that enveloped the earth at that time, the earthquake etc. He could read nature and nature was telling him that THIS truly IS the Son of God, a Divine Being!

Later Christian missionaries also used the pagan claims to their gods' physical powers against them. When they were told that if they touched the pagan shrines, they would die a horrendous death, the Christian missionaries took axes and chopped at them and then stood on them as if waiting for lightning to hit them.

That did not happen, of course, and converts to Christ began to be made . . .

St Stephen of Perm chopped down a tree shrine to show the pagans their "idol folly."

He then used the stump of that same shrine as an altar for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy.

Alex

I'd like to suggest an excellent, free, online audio bible-study course featuring Scott Hahn from an EWTN series. It consists of 13 or so, one hour programs. It's definitely worth a look:

http://fisheaters.com//biblestudy.html