help with the old testament

Hi sister,

There is a pattern in scripture, which I will outline in the hope it helps you to see that God was aiming all the time, and bringing His Son to make it possible for life to be offered to every one.

But, this was not the case in the beginning. In Adam ALL die. It's important to remember that. By His grace, God continued to communicate with mankind, but, there were things which He was not prepared to overlook. Hence, the Flood, when all but Noah's family were destroyed, and much later, the law. Paul, in Romans, refers to the Law in context for Jews. Its context for Gentiles is completely different, as they weren't expected to obey it, while yet having communication with God - a different kind of relationship - and living under the blessings of His order in creation eg sun, rain, seed-time and harvest.

Regarding sin, there are certain decrees by God, contained in the Mosaic law. In Joshua's day, this was still quite new. If you read Lev 18, you cannot be in doubt that a woman is part of the man, just as with Adam and Eve. Their children as yet unmarried, are also one flesh with them. God makes it clear He intends the Hebrew community to put evil away from among them. See Deu 13:11, for instance. I guess if you're in Joshua, you've already read that chapter. The fact is, God is completely serious.

But, eventually, we come to Eze 3, which sets out a new standard. This effectively replaces the idea that the sins of the fathers can be visited upon their children up till the fourth generation, or, for those outside Israel, who might have joined Israel by following the legal requirements for becoming Jewish, the tenth generation (Deu 23:2, 3).

In this overall context, when it says in Heb 2:9 'that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man', maybe you now can see this is a huge change from the beginning - the Flood, those who tasted their own death, or, even the death of another by virtue of an ancestor - and yet, for those who sought God of old, and found grace in His sight, we also have 39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect, at the end of Heb 11.

There is another verse I find interesting: Josh 24:2, followed by Josh 24:16, and Judges 2:12. This is a topic which frequently recurs in Carter Conlon's sermons. Contrast it with Exo 19:7, 8. It is against this backdrop that the same people then made a golden calf, God withdrew His visible presence (Exo 24:11), in punishment (Exo 32:34, 35), making it very clear that the people were still in trouble with Him. The point of these lessons, are to begin to make the people aware of their state of sinfulness: Rom 7:9. This has been explained in more detail from the middle of Rom 1 to Rom 3.

I think it's very easy to forget how much bloodshed God is prepared to see, for the sake of purity and truth, including the death of His own Son. But always, His intentions are the best - that we should KNOW Him, and live forever, knowing Him.

How about another possible scenario, just looking at the situation at it's face value?

They had 40 years in the wilderness, seeing God perform miracle after miracle, daily: even providing them food and water in that barren wasteland. They saw the power of God exhibited in many ways.

Was it such a big stretch for God to expect them to do as he said?

As their Father, He: led them by clould and a pillar of fire, fed them, kept them healthy, protected them, prospered them, gave them peace, gave them a way to have a relationship with him, and gave them victory over all opposition, as well as "spanking" them when they did a "booboo".

The wilderness was a place for their testing and Moses made this perfectly clear. If God gave them a straight shot from the first mountain after Egypt to right near the Jordan river in front of the land flowing with milk and honey, it would have only taken 11 days to get there.
Deut. 1:2,3

If there is one thing that will get you to see just how short of a fuse God has about failure to trust him, it's murmuring and complaining... especially when he shows you firsthand through signs and miracles for 40 years wandering, that He will to take care of you, (and your footwear still looks like it just came out of the box).

God wanted that 'victim of circumstance' complaining, and that 'slave mentality' murmuring gone. That is what the 40 years, looking at the bigger picture, seems to be all about. Dissatisfaction with such provision from God is no way to get on His good side. That is why the carcasses of the first generation found final rest while still treading desert sands.

They had 40 years to see the results of disobedience, and still one family disobeys? Yes, family.

Do you really think one member of a household can hide even the smallest bit of gold or whatever from everybody else living in your tent, much less the camp?

It doesn't seem very smart to try such. A person may get lucky enough to sneak it by the camp, but your wife... you kids, and that nosey judgemental mother in law?

Is God unrighteous in His judgements?

Father Abraham's plea bargaining over Sodom gives us a clear perspective on just how much God will tolerate sin in the city.
Gen. 18:25,32 / II Peter 2:9,10
Moreover, though God already knew the whole deal about Sodom and Gohmorrah, still He bothered to, in His elohim(ic) presence, walk in to see it with His own eyes before everlasting fire ever rained down from the sky purging that ground from the wickedness there. Still, God made a way for the righteous to escape.

We are not given the total picture of just exactly what happened before Ai, but we can be very sure God does not make mistakes. God did have the total picture right down to the most minute detail.

What did God say to Samuel when he was sent to annoint God's choice for another king over Israel? Samuel was looking for a brawny tall fellow who seemed to have his wits about him. After Saul failed God because his heart was lifted up>(proud), Samuel goes to the house of Jesse in Bethlehem, and those whom he considers annointable, God tells him "nope, not that one"... "Nope, not that one either", "no, not him..." (It's I Samuel 16> a good read)

In relation to the Ai failure after Jericho, regarding God's judgement, along with the Genesis passages, consider I Sam. 16:7 and give special note to the last three words of II Pet. 2:10

Everybody knew the rules, and they had 40 years of practice learning to obey or face the consequences. They were well aware that the only all seeing, all hearing, all knowing, merciful loving and kind God, judging rightly, dwelt right in their midst.

God is far from unfair in His judgement, though we do not have the total picture. Face it, if you or i were God, this planet would not even exist anymore, much less anything on it's surface. Sin has ruined our intentions and perceptions. His remains untainted. Without him, we do not even have the ability to forgive (how'd the whole wedding thing go BTW?), yet he gives good things to the just and unjust daily. He is grieved by the death of the wicked even though they tick Him off.

Are we His children? Do we show it by loving our enemies?

Instead of wondering whether God did the wrong thing or not, i have always left such passages until i understood Him further. It has helped me a whole bunch.

God's delight is in doing three things, and these 3 things, in this order listed are the priority by which he operates, though all of them are manifested every time He does something.

Jer. 9:23,24

*Pondering, head in a cloud, wallowing in some quagmire of intellectual mediocrity*

What really seems crazy to me, is what could have been done in 11 days if their hearts were right...

well,
40 long years through a barren wasteland of sand, rock, tumbleweeds, and all kinds of weird desert creatures...
it seem like a mighty long time to be lookin' for a home.

Quite impressive indeed!
(i thought it was just the ones who wore Nike's because that's the greek word and god for victory. Oh, well, look like it's back to the Good Book.)

Hey, what about all that wealth and gold from Egypt they walked away with, some of which they had to drink after that whole golden calf incident.