Why was God so Judgeful in the Old Testament?

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Justice
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Why was God so Judgeful in the Old Testament?

Post by Justice »

Why was God wanting us to stone people for adultery and wanting us to make so many sacrifices for him everyday. It's so different from the New Testament.

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Maria
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Re: Why was God so Judgeful in the Old Testament?

Post by Maria »

You ask excellent questions, Justice.

Aside from the Prophets, people living in Old Testament times did not have the Holy Spirit to guide them, until Christ, the Messiah came, Who was God Incarnate, so these people fell into wickedness.

Yet, lest we think that God totally abandoned these people, remember that St. John the Forerunner, was born and died in order to save those born under the Old Testament. Immediately after his beheading by Herod, St. John entered Hades and began preaching repentance and preparing the way for Christ to lead His faithful Old Testament Saints into paradise. All those souls held in Hades, including the wicked, were given a chance to repent. Then Christ the Messiah, was crucified on the Cross, died, and entered Hades, where He preached salvation to all who would receive Him during those three days preceding His Holy Resurrection. Those who accepted Christ arose with Him into Heaven when the gates of Hades were broken. This means, Justice, that there are a lot of good Jewish people and even Gentiles, of the Old Testament times who are now in Heaven. These Old Testament Saints are in Heaven interceding for those of us still on earth that we may be saved.

Yet, there was present on earth, a Faithful Remnant, for example, the Root of Jesse, the bloodline that led directly to Christ, which consisted of good people. Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, the Theotokos, were righteous. Likewise, Elizabeth and Zacharias, the parents of John the Forerunner, were cousins of the Theotokos and were also righteous. They were part of the Essenes, who prayed and fasted that the Messiah might come in their times, and God heard their cries.

And Justice, do not forget, that in that Faithful Remnant, there was also the Eunuch from Ethiopia, who was baptized by St. Philip the Apostle. This was mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. These Ethiopians descended from the Queen of Sheba, a beautiful woman who was one of the Queens of Solomon.

Now, those of us living in these End Times have no excuse. We have the Church and Her Holy Sacraments to purify, illuminate, and sanctify us. And, we have saints, like the Holy Prophets, who are living among us. If we fail to heed the Voice of God, that little whisper in our hearts, then we will be condemned, but if we listen to God, and accept His Word, we shall be saved.

Know that we are praying for you.
Xenios and Maria

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.

fschmidt
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Re: Why was God so Judgeful in the Old Testament?

Post by fschmidt »

disclaimer - This is not an Orthodox view.

As someone who follows the Old Testament, I would also like to answer this. One aspect of God that is rarely mentioned is that God is practical, and this applies here.

There were no daily sacrifices. The sacrifices served several purposes. They served as fines, much like paying a fine to the government today. They were generally eaten by the temple priests, so they served to fund religion. And sacrifices were a common way of expressing commitment to a religion, so they served that purpose. Note that nowhere does it say that these sacrifices are eternal. They were designed for the times when they were given.

The harsh punishments were imposed on the Israelites when they were wondering in the Sinai. This was necessary because they were in constant conflict with other people in the area, and if discipline wasn't imposed quickly on the Israelites, then they would have simply been wiped out in some military conflict. And former slaves tend to be the most undisciplined people because they were always told what to do and never had a need for self-discipline. So strict rules with harsh punishments were needed to civilize these people quickly. And once again, nowhere does it say that these punishments are eternal.

These things are in contrast to the moral principles like the Ten Commandments which are clearly stated as being eternal. Jesus had a clear understanding of this difference, and he pushed for moral principles, not for outdated laws.

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