Published September 11, 2024 at 9:58 PM

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Most Christians (including myself, at times) are guilty of having a tainted view of God (Elohim). The lens through which we view God (Elohim) is often inaccurate and inconsistent with His character. The biggest example of this fact is the belief amongst some that God (Elohim) changed in the New Testament. They view God (Elohim) as judgmental and vengeful in the Old Testament, then say that He suddenly became loving and forgiving in the New Testament. Some even go as far as to say that the Old Testament’s condemnation of sin doesn’t apply anymore, which is why Christian lawlessness is a huge problem.

The truth is that God (Elohim) has always been loving and forgiving, and the Old Testament constantly points to that fact. However, God (Elohim) cannot let sin go unpunished, which has not changed in the New Testament. Jesus (Yahusha) absolutely died as an atonement for our sins, but that is not an excuse to abuse grace. Sin still deserves the death penalty, as Romans 6:23 makes clear.

My article on Christian lawlessness focused on showing how God (Elohim) still hates sin and lawlessness in the New Testament. This article will focus on the other half of that topic, showing how God (Elohim) was loving and forgiving in the Old Testament, while also reminding you why he punishes evil.

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Exodus 34:6-7

Exodus 34:6-7 is a perfect description of the character of God. It reads:

“And the LORD (YHWH) passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD God (YHWH, YHWH El), merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.'” (Exodus 34:6-7 NKJV)

God (Elohim) is merciful, gracious, patient, good, and forgiving. However, He is also a righteous judge who cannot tolerate sin. Sin must be punished, and the Old Testament is full of examples of God (Elohim) punishing sin. People like to say that God is “cruel” or “evil” for the things done in the Old Testament, but they ignore both His goodness and just cause for punishing sin.

For example, people ignore the fact that the Canaanites practiced child sacrifice (made their children “pass through the fire”), but say that God (Elohim) is “genocidal” for commanding Israel (Yashar’El) to wipe them out and avoid inheriting their practices. The same can be said for the Flood of Noah; people complain about the punishment, but not about the crimes committed. These are also the same people who ask “why doesn’t God do anything about evil today?”, but I’m getting off track.

The point here is that God (Elohim) is a just judge; He does not clear the guilty.

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Examples Of God’s (Elohim’s) Love, Mercy, Kindness and Forgiveness

Now that I have clarified the perfect (but nuanced) nature of God’s (Elohim’s) character, I now want to focus on proving that the traits of God that are often synonymous with the New Testament were always present in the Old Testament. This will be a bullet-pointed list, with chapters/verses given so you can go and read yourself.

1. God (Elohim) is willing to spare the extremely wicked city of Sodom if there are at least 10 righteous people in the city (Genesis 18)
   • Even when there are not 10 righteous people, God (Elohim) sends two angels to save Lot and his family
2. God (Elohim) takes care of Hagar and Ishmael, while they are in the wilderness (Genesis 21)
   • Isaac was the child of the covenant, but God (Elohim) still cared for Ishmael
3. God sends Joseph to Pharaoh to interpret his dreams and save Egypt from a seven-year famine that would’ve wiped them out (Genesis 41)
   • Egypt did not worship God (Elohim), yet He still intervened to save them
4. Even though the Israelites (Yashar’El) complained, were idolatrous, and even asked to go back to Egyptian slavery, God (Elohim) was with them and took care of them (Exodus 16, 17, 32; Numbers 14)
   • He forgave them and frequently relented concerning pouring out His wrath on them
5. God (Elohim) has laws in place to protect women from rape, foreigners, slaves, and poor people (Leviticus 19:9-10, Leviticus 25, Deuteronomy 22:25-27)
   • God (Elohim) cares for the marginalized in society; it is built into His laws
6. God (Elohim) promises to bless Israel if they simply follow Him and keep His statutes (Deuteronomy 28)
   • God (Elohim) desires to bless and prosper His people, even when they don’t deserve it
7. God (Elohim) listens to Joshua’s request for the sun to stand still (Joshua 10)
   • God (Elohim) brought the luminaries to a halt for His people to help them in battle
8. Israel (Yashar’El) breaks the covenant repeatedly, and practices lawlessness, but God (Elohim) still sends judges to deliver them when they cry out (read the book of Judges)
   • Even when we sin, God (Elohim) still hears us and cares for us; He wants us to turn to Him
9. God (Elohim) works in the story of Ruth and Boaz to redeem Ruth, a Gentile widow, and grafts her into His family (read the book of Ruth)
   • Ruth would then be in the line of David and Jesus (Yahusha); a foreigner is the ancestor of the Messiah
10. God (Yahusha) hears Hannah’s cries and opens her womb so she can have a child (1 Samuel 1)
    • He is near to those who cry out to Him, and shows compassion
11. God (Elohim) forgives David for his sin concerning Uriah and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11-12)
    • David’s sin deserved the death penalty, but God (Elohim) shows mercy (David is punished, but does not die)
12. God (Elohim) sends Elijah to the widow to take care of her, and he revives her son (1 Kings 17)
    • A widow is provided for during a drought
13. Elisha raises the son of a Shunammite woman from the dead (2 Kings 4)
    • God (Elohim) was raising people from the dead before the New Testament
14. God (Elohim) helps Naaman the Syrian prosper in battle, and has Elisha heal his leprosy, even though he likely was a pagan (II Kings 5)
    • God (Elohim) loves and shows compassion towards those who don’t know Him
15. God (Elohim) delivers Judah (Yahudah) from Sennacherib and the Assyrian army (2 Kings 19)
    • Judah (Yahudah) could’ve been exiled for their sins, like Israel (Yashar’El), but God (Elohim) showed mercy on Hezekiah and Judah (Yahudah)
16. God (Elohim) adds 15 years to the life of Hezekiah (2 Kings 20)
    • On top of the previous point, God (Elohim) also extended Hezekiah’s life (as he was going to die)
17. Manasseh was probably the most wicked king of Judah (Yahudah) (read 2 Kings 21), but God (Elohim) heard his prayer and restored him to his kingship (2 Chronicles 33)
    • Even after all the evil he did in the past, God (Elohim) was willing to forgive Manasseh (this is a story of us)
18. King Jeconiah is taken captive from Babylon, but he is eventually released from prison and given a seat at the king’s table (II Kings 25)
    • Because Jeconiah obeyed Jeremiah’s call to surrender to Babylon, he went from being a prisoner of war to being a noble at the king’s table. The king adopted one of his enemies into his family (which is another story of God (Elohim) and us)
19. God (Elohim) sent Cyrus the Great to end the Exile and bring the Jews (Yahudim) back to their land (Ezra 1)
    • Even after all the sinning that caused them to go into Exile, God (Elohim) still forgave them and brought them back
20. God (Elohim) gives the Jews (Yahudim) favor with Darius, allowing them to rebuild the temple (Ezra 6)
    • There was heavy resistance to the rebuilding of the temple, yet God (Elohim) was with the Jews (Yahudim) to help them
21. God (Elohim) is with Nehemiah to help him rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and re-establish life before the Exile (read the book of Nehemiah)
    • God (Elohim) never abandoned His people, and He always planned to bring them back to the land; He was with the leaders who helped carry this out
22. God (Elohim) is working throughout the book of Esther to save the Jews (Yahudim) from annihilation (read the book of Esther)
    • Even if God (Elohim) isn’t mentioned, He is moving behind the scenes and working everything for the good of Esther, Mordecai, and the Jews (Yahudim)
23. After Job is tempted and brought low, God (Elohim) restores him and gives him more than he started with (Job 42)
    • God (Elohim) allowed temptation, but there was a reward behind it that was far greater than what Job could expect
24. The Psalms are full of the praises of God (Elohim)
    • He is with us, even when we face evil (Psalm 23)
    • We can run to Him in adversity (Psalm 31)
    • He is our refuge and fortress. He commands His angels to watch over us (Psalm 91)
    • He is good and His mercy endures forever (Psalm 118)
    • God (Elohim) is good to all, and is abundant in mercy and steadfast love (Psalm 145)
25. God (Elohim) is our salvation, and He does not remain angry forever (Isaiah 12)
    • He is our only hope and we should turn to Him
26. God (Elohim) sent His Son to die for our sins (Isaiah 53)
    • He loved us so much that he sent His only begotten Son to die to atone for our sins
27. God (Elohim) extends salvation to all, even the Gentiles (Isaiah 56)
    • The Old Testament made it clear that salvation was coming to the Gentiles
28. Even while in exile, God (Elohim) is with the Jews (Yahudim) and has a plan for them (Jeremiah 29)
    • God (Elohim) never leaves, nor forsakes, His people
29. God (Elohim) promises a New Covenant where His laws are written on our hearts (Jeremiah 31)
    • God (Elohim) has always been after our hearts, as He wants us to seek Him
30. God has a plan to restore Israel (Yashar’El), even after they sin and forget Him (Ezekiel 36-37)
    • Our sins don’t throw off God’s (Elohim’s) plans, and He is more than willing to forgive and restore
31. Even while in exile, God (Elohim) is with Daniel to prosper him, protect him, and give him favor (read the Book of Daniel)
    • The Jews (Yahudim) are not forsaken while in Exile; God (Elohim) still cares for them (i.e. story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego)
32. The Minor Prophets consistently have a message of judgment for sin, while also pointing to God’s (Elohim’s) forgiveness and plan to restore His people (READ YOUR MINOR PROPHETS)
    • Namely, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Micah, Zephaniah, Zechariah, and Malachi make this point abundantly clear. God (Elohim) does punish sin, but He wants to also bless His people and restore them; seek Him and live! (Amos 5:4)

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Conclusion

I listed a bunch of examples of “New Testament” characteristics of God (Elohim) that are present in the Old Testament. I pray that you understand that God (Elohim) did not change between the two covenants. As Hebrews 13:8 says, Yahusha Ha’Mashiach (who is the Word and the Son of God (Elohim) is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Moreover, I don’t want you to simply take my word for it; read it yourself! Christians often neglect reading the Old Testament, which is why a lot of Christians don’t truly understand God (Elohim). By reading the Old Testament, you’ll have a better understanding of the New Testament, and God (Elohim) as a whole. Our God (Elohim) has always been merciful, kind, forgiving, and abounding in steadfast love. Concurrently, He has always been a just judge who must punish sin. To paraphrase Malachi 3:6, He is YHWH; He does not change.

Thank you for reading, and always remember to stay vigilant!