Old Ways, New Ways
Many people try to find fault with events that took place in the Old Testament. They don’t understand how a loving God could have allowed such things to happen. Once we read the whole story, from Genesis….where sin entered the world due to the disobedience of Adam and Eve…. through the book of Malachi, we’ll see how God worked with His people until they refused to listen. We’ll understand why, when Noah was the most faithful one left, God chose to destroy the world and start again. Most of all we’ll understand why God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, and gave us the New Testament.
Many times history repeats itself. People start out believing and God is faithful to guide them in the right direction. Until sin appears with it’s temptations and even the most devoted fall into Satan’s snare. We need to remember that in Old Testament times, civilization was nowhere near the level we know today. Life was almost impossible then compared to the comforts we enjoy now. One had to fight to merely survive.
The success of a nation or tribe depended on how much land they owned, along with sheep, cattle and even wives…or secondary wives, referred to as concubines. Families tended to live together in clans while some were separated by wars and other tragedies. Thousands of lives were lost in the quest for land and worldly possessions. The lure of plenty led to greed and much of the Old Testament reads as if life was of no significance at all…with 5,000 being killed in this war and 10,000 in another…what was life all about anyway?
Once Moses had led the people out of Egypt and they settled into the promised land, things were good for a while, but again it didn’t last. The land which was already occupied was taken by force and the inhabitants were destroyed. Animals and sometimes the women were spared but countless men lost their lives. Why, we might ask, did God allow, or even encourage, such actions from His people?
God made man unique by giving us free will to decide for ourselves what we should or shouldn’t do…to choose between right and wrong. Most of us grow up knowing right from wrong…. but always choosing right is not easy. What started out as a perfect world was ruined by sin. Greed and jealousy is found at the root of many of the Old Testament stories. This also is true of many problems facing people today. If greed and jealousy could be replaced with contentment and a sense of satisfaction; if the well being of others was just as important to every man as his own, what a much better world we would have.
God’s presence is dominate in the Old Testament. He often spoke directly to the people He led. Sometimes He appeared in the form of human messengers or sent His angels to speak for Him. Dreams were one way He communicated, but they had to be interpreted by someone. Kings often sought out prophets, seers or fortunetellers in order to hear from God.
By the end of the Old Testament the world was overcome with sin….corrupt priests, hypocrisy, infidelity, divorce, false worship had led to arrogance toward God and His words. So God became silent..not speaking through prophets again….for 400 years. Malachi was the last prophet heard from until the appearance of John the Baptist whose purpose was to tell of the coming of Jesus.
The way we live now or the way people lived in the Old Testament is not what God wants for us… we have chosen it for ourselves due to the influence of sin. The very reason God sent His Son, a part of Himself, into the world was so that He could teach us the right ways to live. He was sent to be the ultimate sacrifice, because up till then, the sacrifices people made of sheep and other animals were only a temporary route to forgiveness. God saw that one sacrifice was needed to cover all sins for all eternity…. Jesus was that sacrifice. After Jesus was crucified, He sent another part of Himself…His Holy Spirit…to live inside the heart of every one who chooses to believe. Jesus came to lead us to the Father. Therefore, He said, “I am the way, the truth , and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14: 6.
Every person has a need and a desire to know God. Some have no problem believing, while for others it is not so simple…. so they search for ways to fill the void. Some think money or great success will do it and others look to other people….searching for the perfect partner or “soulmate.” Only by putting our faith in Jesus and accepting that the sacrifice He made was a personal one, just for us, can we ever hope to live in a better world where God is King and peace is everlasting. John 3:17 says: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him, might be saved.” Then, in 2 Cor. 5:17 God’s word tells us: “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
My name is Betty Fritz. I was born and raised in Texas but have resided in Elkhart, Indiana for the last 25 years. My husband is a Hoosier so that’s how we wound up here. We have two daughters and a son plus 6 grand kids…..3 boys and 3 girls.
I retired last year after working for 24 years at Elkhart Child Development Center. I’ve been writing since a teenager and have taken several writing courses. I enjoy writing short stories. I wrote a book of poems, RHYMES OF THE TIMES, which was published a few years ago. I have written countless songs, a few for which demo recordings have been made. Recently I’ve been writing blogs..most of them about my faith and things the Lord has taught me in my Christian life over the last 51 years. My inspiration comes from my personal relationship with Jesus Christ and my desire to see that my grand children grow up in a Christian nation. My goal is to bring glory to Him and help others to see that there is POWER in the name of JESUS!