Why is God described so differently in the OT?

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whatevergirl

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Please read this passage for today’s mass readings…Joshua describes God as ‘unforgiving,’ and ‘jealous.’ I have often scratched my head at these verses…not understanding how God could be ‘one way,’ in the OT, yet be not described as this at all in the NT?

Can someone enlighten me today? Thank you.🙂
Reading 1
Jos 24:14-29

Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem,
and addressed them, saying:
“Fear the LORD and serve him completely and sincerely.
Cast out the gods your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt,
and serve the LORD.
If it does not please you to serve the LORD,
decide today whom you will serve,
the gods your fathers served beyond the River
or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are dwelling.
As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

But the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD
for the service of other gods.
For it was the LORD, our God,
who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt,
out of a state of slavery.
He performed those great miracles before our very eyes
and protected us along our entire journey and among all the peoples
through whom we passed.
At our approach the LORD drove out all the peoples,
including the Amorites who dwelt in the land.
Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God.”

Joshua in turn said to the people,
“You may not be able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God;
he is a jealous God who will not forgive
your transgressions or your sins.
If, after the good he has done for you,
you forsake the LORD and serve strange gods,
he will do evil to you and destroy you.”

But the people answered Joshua, “We will still serve the LORD.”
Joshua therefore said to the people,
“You are your own witnesses that you have chosen to serve the LORD.”
They replied, “We are, indeed!”
Joshua continued:
“Now, therefore, put away the strange gods that are among you
and turn your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”
Then the people promised Joshua,
“We will serve the LORD, our God, and obey his voice.”

So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day
and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem,
which he recorded in the book of the law of God.
Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak
that was in the sanctuary of the LORD.
And Joshua said to all the people, “This stone shall be our witness,

for it has heard all the words which the LORD spoke to us.
It shall be a witness against you, should you wish to deny your God.”
Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to his own heritage.

After these events, Joshua, son of Nun, servant of the LORD,
died at the age of a hundred and ten.***
 
I think you are reading too much into the text.🙂
Joshua in turn said to the people,
“You may not be able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God;
he is a jealous God who will not forgive
your transgressions or your sins.
If, after the good he has done for you,
you forsake the LORD and serve strange gods,
he will do evil to you and destroy you.”
Click to expand...
God is a jealous God, but not in the sense where we humans have emotional reactions to somebody else having something we don’t. He is “jealous” in the sense that, since he has explicitly revealed the fact that he is the one, true God (all others being false idols and demons), he will not tolerate his people running after other “gods” – it is direct disobedience.

The text likewise makes clear that God will not forgive those whom he has revealed himself to when they persist in worshipping other “gods” – if they are unrepentedly doing so, what’s he supposed to do, ignore it?

In saying “he will do evil to them,” we are speaking of God’s *permissive will *-- that is, because of their sins, he will withdraw his favor from them, thus allowing them to bring evil upon themselves, again because of their unrepentant sins.

We should always be careful of carrying the biblical text too far to the point that we attribute human emotions and motives to God. In the OT especially, when such words are used to describe god’s dispositions or actions, it is only a manner of speaking, not literal.🙂
 
Thank you for this thread - many possibly also would have liked some more clarification that Fidelis has provided .

As to any real diffrence in our own grasp of the Godly truths between the O.T times and ours, we are blessed to be living in diffrent times - the communion of saints … many good and holy persons and baptised little angelic children in our midst …and most esp. The Holy Sacrifice of The Mass - all of .which does bring down torrents of His Mercy , to preserve us from annihilation …

Not so during those O.T . times - Israel a small minority … possibly some of those idols and the persons who were worshipping them had more demonic power at their disposal …

God had to be righly ’ jealous ’ for His little flock -and mete out swift and clear judgements , for their preservation …

Joshua is about to make the covenantal oath with The Lord …and he righly want Israelites to know what is involved …how someone who has been empowered to serve The Lord , then turns against , to serve idols - the demonic forces he is set out to serve at that point can have such a hold that turning back , to receive forgiveness again may not happen …

St. Paul also warns in similar language …and we have the example of Judas …even of Ananias and Sapphira who fall dead -for serving the idolatrous god of greed and lie …

In our own times , when we consider the many who recieve The Eucharist , in a state of sin and how it might be making many ill ( words of St.Paul …)

Uniting ourselves with The Risen Lord, in The Eucharist, we accept from Him , the power of Resurrection - to be able to do His loving will… in all things ( which would mean being faithful to His teaching voice in The Church )

Yet , if we are holding onto unforgiveness , greed , gluttony , immoral sexual practices and despair of total lack of trust in Him to want to choose - to destroy life …what spirit in us is getting nourished / empowered…

Looking around in our culture , we can see that those warning words of Joshua still ring very true …

May His Mercy be with us all to preserve and protect us !
 
Thank you both for your (name removed by moderator)ut here.

Another question that sort of spins off of all of this would be that all people are God’s children…so, why wouldn’t He be just as interested in those who wandered away…strayed, so to speak…and who are tempting others to do the same? Wouldn’t they also be in need of ‘saving?’ (They are in need, but sometimes, the Bible highlights people who seem to be the wrongdoers and those that God is in search of saving…)
 
GOD does not change. This idea of GOD is teh same notion of GOD we have today. It was later in the psalms and in Isaiah that we see GOD has told us that HE will forgive our sins. Also recall the law of the prophets, the golden rule.

DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU’D HAVE DONE UNTO YOU.

GOD forgives us, in our measure of forgiveness. If by our measure a person is to be stoned to death for their sin, that is a sin which will not be forgiven us. Blessed are the merciful for they shall have mercy.

We have JESUS who forgives our sins, by the covenant in HIS BLOOD.

Isaiah 1:18 *And then come, and accuse me, saith the Lord: if your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow: and if they be red as crimson, they shall be white as wool.

It is because JESUS is the sacrificial lamb that is a propitiation for our sin, that we have forgiveness. Before this no soul was found worthy to enter into ETERNAL LIFE. JESUS is the only who has overcome to be called “worthy”. Therefore only in JESUS being ONE with JESUS, shall we enter into ETERNAL LIFE.

You can find the idea of sacrifice for sin, in Exodus, and Leviticus in particular. As well as teh sacrifices of Caine and Abel. The First five books of the Bible are clear on the idea of Sacrifice to the LORD to grow closer to the LORD and to gain THE LORD’s forgiveness. LOVE is necessiarily a given thing, sacrifice is to give willingly and with CHARITY. Thus sacrifice becomes LOVE, and JESUS upon the cross is GOD’s TRUE LOVE for us.
 
I think I worded my post wrong…lol

I know what you are saying to be true…I know that our God is a loving God–etc…I’m saying that the point of view of the writers seems different in the OT from the New. As if God changed, or showed different colors to the spectators within the NT? It’s not God in any way shape, or form who I question–certainly not. It’s the perspective writings that seem so different…

Sorry I should have made myself more clear.😊
 
God is the same yesterday today and tomorrow. The God of the Old Testiment is the Same God of the New Testiment. The point is that in reality we all deserve to go to hell (except for the Blessed Mother) and if God wants to throw us into hell He has every right.

What you see of God in the Old Testiment is a Testiment to His Great Mercy in the New Testiment but don’t forget the earth will go up in a ball of smoke.
 
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