Our Days are Numbered
March 14, 2025
Listening to an audio Bible, I often find parallels of the Old and New Testaments. Sometimes they have replies to some frequent atheistic opposition in protests of God, Jesus, and the Bible.
One of those challenges is the contention that God of the Old is not the same God as in the New.
The claim is that the Old God, Yahweh, is cruel, nasty, and downright mean, while the New God, Jesus, is all about “love.”
However, theTwo are not in opposition to one another, since Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” — John 10:30, NIV.
It then must be that such interpretations, opinions, speculations, and perspectives are wrong.
One of God’s purposes in the Old Testament, as I read it, is about establishing justice and equity through a set of Laws, demonstrating, in no uncertain terms and with intense purpose, as well as strict enforcement, using His foresight, God establishes the rule of Law and consequences for breaking them.
Though His ways seem mysterious, He was going to make everything quite clear to them (and to us) that “it was His way or the highway,” as the saying goes. (Read Numbers 14.)
Nevertheless, keeping in mind that God made the world and all of us. He does have a plan for our lives.
This plan for all Mankind is good. It is beneficial for everyone, and we should not only be cognizant of it but also give it thorough consideration.
What gets in the way of our serious thinking about God, Jesus, and the Bible is our obstinate mindset — which is based on our false pride.
There is nothing wrong in taking pride in our honest attempts to do things correctly or getting our projects finished — like in building a shed or getting crops planted on time… However, false pride is defined on a Google search this way:
“False pride is an unhealthy and often unwarranted sense of self-importance, where an individual believes they are superior to others or possess greater knowledge or skills than they actually do.”
Maybe false pride is like a loud oration from a soapbox that cannot support any weight… Just sayin’…
Selah — I’d Rather Have Jesus (Official Music Video)
Now, more about the nature of God’s plan…
The essence of the completion of His plan is spoken of in Jerimiah 29:11 — “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
I maintain that this process is like parenting, like it was basically with how my Dad worked: He had experienced knowledge and foresight; he had strict rules; he enforced them — not because he was cruel and nasty and mean. It was because he knew there were a lot of consequences in life I was not aware of. He disciplined me for my benefit — not for his.
My Dad also had plans for me to prosper me, not to harm me, plans to give me hope and a future. Unfortunately, and not unlike the Israelites, I was a rebellious and disobedient child, and did not honor my Dad. In the end, I was like the guy in the Parable of the Prodigal Son and was restored to my Dad but, not long before he died.
From the very beginning, God’s purposes were like those of any loving parent, having the hopes for the success of all His family. “…showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” — Exodus 20:6, NIV.
From that beginning, it has been His choosing that through people He would establish what He expected from them.
God chose to use individuals and groups and nations like actors on a stage where the standards of justice and equity and righteousness would be played to the audiences of the world.
Eventually, divergent groups of people could come together, civilized and become one big family….
Still and all, there would be, literally, a whole lot of ground to cover first. Their long trek was for our benefit as well as theirs, for when Jesus came the whole world would be given the same opportunities… and also with the option for the same consequences.
That first civilized family were the Israelites. Of course, we often see the failures on the part of “those people” to keep to God’s standards, but He is always rich in mercy and showed great patience with them.
He repeatedly would end their well-deserved consequences when they petitioned Him with sincere requests for His forgiveness.
All of that Old Testament theme with both stories of blessings and scourges were all for the benefit of a future shared hindsight.
Now, let me attempt to draw some parallels between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. There are differences of course, but there are very similar principles to compare…
The first is relevant also for today’s social hostility.
Diversity Equity & Inclusion
Old Testament: Numbers 15:14–16, NIV — “For the generations to come, whenever a foreigner or anyone else living among you presents a food offering as an aroma pleasing to the Lord, they must do exactly as you do. The community is to have the same rules for you and for the foreigner residing among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the foreigner shall be the same before the Lord: The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the foreigner residing among you.”
New Testament: Galatians 3:28, NIV — “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
The second comparison begins to answer the complaint that God is somehow evil… that is, for example, because of one mistake, He will condemn you forever to Hell…
Unintentional Sin
Old Testament: Numbers 15:27–29, NIV — “But if just one person sins unintentionally, that person must bring a year-old female goat for a sin offering. The priest is to make atonement before the Lord for the one who erred by sinning unintentionally, and when atonement has been made, that person will be forgiven. One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether a native-born Israelite or a foreigner residing among you.”
New Testament: 1 John 1:9, NIV — “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
The third puts the idea of justice to the test, whereby all dogs might go to Heaven, but people, not so. Those whose intentions are always to accomplish the harmful and the hurtful and who are not sorry about it…this is what God says:
Intentional Sin
OldTestament: Numbers 15:30–31, NIV — “But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or foreigner, blasphemes the Lord and must be cut off from the people of Israel. Because they have despised the Lord’s word and broken his commands, they must surely be cut off; their guilt remains on them.”
New Testament: Hebrews 10:26–27, NIV — “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.”
Conclusion
It’s not much of a reach to smooth out the wording of these precepts into the context of the Old and the New Testament teachings…
Nevertheless, God remains true to Himself and He offers us hope through Jesus Christ of forgiveness and restoration into a personal relationship between Mankind and their Creator.
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” — 2 Peter 3:9, NIV.
God does love us and has a wonderful plan for our lives. Yet, here is a Reality Check and a serious warning from the very serious God in the Bible:
“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!” — Galatians 1:8, NIV.
Maybe it’s time to get serious about God, don’t you think?
