16 “But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. 17 They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them."
If you're anything like me, then you have probably struggle to read the Old Testament.
Let me guess why.
God is a little scary in the Old Testament. He destroys cities, He floods, the earth, He punishes people!
Or, there are all sorts of weird rules, traditions, rituals, sacrifices, etc. There are a lot of questions, but it feels like God doesn't give a lot of answers.
These things are alien to us. They are some level of unnerving to us. They seemingly go against the God we know from the New Testament.
That's not true.
I chose these two verses because I think it is a perfect encapsulation of the two main themes of the Old Testament.
Theme 1: People are presumptuous. Stiff-necked. Stubborn, obstinate, sinful through-and-through. We constantly fight God, resist God, sin against God, treat Him with contempt. We run from God, over and over again.
Even when God delivers them from captivity, they turn to other gods. They make idols. They rebel against Him. Even when He does incredible miracles before their eyes, they still doubt Him.
Theme 2: And yet, despite all of our shortcomings, God doesn't give up on us. He remains gracious and merciful. He is READY TO FORGIVE. He is slow to anger. He is full of steadfast love for His people. He does not forsake us. He chases after us.
The Bible is the story of God's faithfulness to those who follow Him, from generation to generation, since the beginning of the world, and to the very end of the world. That's the main point: God is faithful, and the embodiment of His faithfulness is His Son, Jesus.
When you understand the main point of the main story, then whenever you read something confusing, or strange, or off-putting in any number of Biblical stories, then you can begin to put it into the larger context of what we know and believe about God.
God is faithful to His people. He is forgiving. His steadfast love is for us.
No, we don't always understand what He's doing. Yes, sometimes, His plan is scary.
But don't forget what you know about God. You know His love for you. You know Jesus. Don't forget what you've experienced for yourself. You've experienced His forgiveness. You know that He keeps showing up. He does not forsake us.
So, read the Bible. Read the whole Bible. (Context is really helpful!) Read the confusing parts. God will meet you in the midst of the confusion. He'll remind you of His love, even if He doesn't always answer your questions.
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