The God of the Old Testament: Why So Grumpy?

I would like to address a question that I have seen in several places, from many people. This question is basically, "Why did the God of the Old Testament order the slaughter of many nations? Isn't He a loving, compassionate God?" Here's why He did these things:

Even from the beginning, contact with the evil people of the world caused the downfall of the righteous. After killing Abel in Genesis 4, Cain was exiled and "had relations with his wife, and she bore Enoch" (Genesis 4:17). Adam and Eve had another son, called Seth, and Seth in turn had children like Cain had. The line of Seth was righteous, and the line of Cain was wicked. Genesis 6:4 tells us of the mingling of these two lines: "...the sons of God had intercourse with the daughters of man, who bore them sons."

Up until this point, there had been two distinct lines. The line of Seth were those that "began to invoke the LORD by name" (Genesis 4:26). Cain's descendants, in their arrogance and pride, built large cities and named these cities after themselves, practicing all types of evil, like Lamech, who "took two wives" (Genesis 4:19).

When the two lines came together and Seth's line took wives from Cain's line, evil spread throughout the world. In Genesis 6:5-8, We read about God's decision to wipe out the world. There was still one man, however, who had "stuck with" God... and we all know that this was Noah.

After Noah and his sons, along with their wives, had survived the flood, they all disembarked from the ark, but everything was not to be perfect. Ham, the son of Noah, sinned greatly and was exiled, leaving two other sons, the most righteous of whom was Shem.

From Ham (who had a son named "Canaan," as it turns out) came forth those that constructed the tower of Babel, trying to make a "shem" (Hebrew for "name") for themselves. God confounded their efforts to defy him (they were trying to build the tower so high that, if God tried to flood them again, He would have to drown himself to kill them).

From Shem's line came Abram, later known as Abraham, and so forth until Moses. Still, even then, the evil of Ham's line had continued to spread, and many nations had sprung forth from his loins. The Israelites, after escaping Egypt, wandered through the desert, and God tried to build their faith.

However, the people had hard hearts, and Numbers 25:1-5 tells the story of how the Israelites, while living among the evil people, fell into sexual sin and idolatry, worshiping gods other than the Almighty, One True God.

Basically, the reason for God's commands to kill the people of the other nations is that He was more concerned with the spiritual well-being of Israel (the only nation in the world that recognizes Him as God) than the physical well-being of the rest of the world, who were completely submerged in sin and falsehood.

God is unchanging, and He is all perfection. A study of Theology reveals that God's Justice=God's Mercy=God's Compassion=God's Wrath= God's Love= God's Knowledge. All that God is, He is perfectly and all He does, He does with a VERY good reason. Instead of dismissing these issues, please, let us address them and share them with all of our brothers and sisters.

Yours in Christ,
Daniel

Such A Time...

Life in general has, to me, become quite hectic and nerve-wracking, peaceful and happy, all at the same time. Is it not strange, one could say, that this sort of happening occur, not only to myself but really to anyone?

I do not comprehend how life can be so versatile, so eclectic in its aspects and dimensions, nor do I pretend now to understand the mysterious movements of God throughout the framework. I know that He has been constantly present among the intermingling of events and has guided me along the entire way. Yet, still, it is only "after the fact" that I can see His "footprint" or mark, at least in many of the situations and instances.

Why, after so many years, do I not see this evidence earlier? Have I not had the background and teaching that enables one to see? One fact that I am quite aware of now is that I cannot and will not know many things, will not understand the "how" and the "why" of life. It is not for me to wrap my meager mind around such complexities as relationships, how these play in relation to one another, or how they will develop over time.

To believe such a thing to be possible for any person is proud, and utterly ridiculous. I am but a creation, a nothing loved into existence by the supreme power, authority, and judge of all things and people; our Triune God, the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. None can stand against this most beautiful and majestic, most awesome and compassionate, most just and constant Lord.

This journey is one of which I am, of course, an integral part, at least in relation to my own soul. My patron Saint, Francis of Sales, says that it is quite important to minister to others, but it is vital that we take care of our own soul. Naturally, as he intends to point out, we must be in a state of grace, at peace with God, if we are to effectively bring others to Him.

Hectic... my life has been so because I am enrolled in seven classes at John Paul the Great Catholic University. I have the responsibility not only to excel in these classes, but also to discern what I will do with my life after classes end, upon graduation. I talked with a very good friend about this recently, and I realize that I must begin building myself up in ways that transcend the classroom, through real-world application and the garnering of experience. Such a huge question can have a nerve-wracking effect upon a young lad such as myself. It is as if to say, "OK, now look back on your life, consider what God has given you, where you've been, and what you've done. Good... now, pick the correct path." I know that God will lead me and guide me, but this decision will take up quite a portion of my mental-mulling time. In this way, the looming task of deciding what direction my life will finally take is a fine way to make my life seem... hectic.

Peaceful... because of the ever-present opportunity to pray, and the abundant grace that has been poured out upon me to assist me in the follow-through on inclinations to do so regularly. Not through my own merit can I say that I have prayed more; rather, I attribute this to the prayers of my acquaintances and friends, including my family especially and a few close friends, as well as the Church Triumphant. The happiness comes as a result of the graces that I have received and continue to receive, though I deserve none of it.

For those of you that do not know, I began dating a wonderful Catholic young woman a little over a month ago, and God's gift to me in her is truly inexplicable. I would like to beg anyone who does not know her to pray for her and her family, and anyone who does know her to continue praying for her and her family. Additionally, of course, I would like all people to pray for my family and I... I am praying for all of you.

Is all of this strange? Is it strange that I feel so many different things, seemingly conflicting things, at the same time? I assert that it is not so very strange... or at least rare. Everyone goes through these sorts of situations, each different but similar on some level. It reminds me of a saying that has been coming up often in my life lately; "God never gives you more than you can handle."

I would like to leave you with a passage from Matthew 6: 25-34...

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day."

Love of God; Contrary to Hypocrisy

Just as in Scripture, where the people blindly followed the many laws handed down to them, we, too, seem to have forgotten why we do what we do. Most Christians maintain that it is beneficial to attend some sort of ceremony each weekend on Sunday. However, how many of us really appreciate why we get up on Sunday morning? How many of us, especially Catholics (who have the Eucharist, the Real Presence of Jesus Christ) realize that we get to encounter to Lord of all creation each week, or even each day if we choose?

So many people say that they love God, but will turn around not an hour later and do things so totally reprehensible that they should not be discussed. So many young people, influenced by society, do not even have an understanding of what love truly is, even on a basic level. Selfishness and instant gratification lead many deep into hypocrisy and falsehood. Even people seen as generally good, respected in their respective communities, may attend a Sunday service to fulfill an obligation, a "law," without reflecting on their intentions.

In "talking the talk" without "walking the walk," so to speak, these people develop a wholly inaccurate view of what God wants for us. They do not develop their inner voice, their conscience, and they tailor their beliefs to what they feel is right. The dignity of life is one issue on which many "Christians" have seemed to strayed from common sense, and most especially politicians considering their public positions. It only makes sense, considering God's infinite love for all people, that it would be wrong to perform an abortion or to perform capital punishment on any person (with the only exception being if the person cannot possibly be contained and kept from killing again).

Now, some people have come up with an excuse to allow abortion, asserting that the fetus is not a person until a certain point (brain function, heartbeat, human shape, birth/viability, etc...), and everyone has a different opinion. God did not intend for there to be confusion, and all of these strange and unclear speculations are wrong. The early church fathers wrote on the matter, rejecting abortion as evil and asserting that life begins at conception. This has been the teaching of the Catholic Church since the beginning of its existence, and it is the teaching of Jesus Christ, passed down to his Apostles (the first leaders of the church). It is important that politicians follow the spirit of God's law, especially when it is also the letter of God's law, and avoid mindless hypocrisy.

By the same vein, people have also rejected the teaching of the Holy Eucharist, which is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord Jesus. This teaching is very clearly true, especially considering the Bread of Life discourse located in the gospel of John, chapter 6. Even many Catholics have rejected the belief in the Holy Eucharist, with a recent study indicating that 50% of Catholics do not hold that the teachings of the Catholic Church are true. This is due to the misleadings of proud people who do not wish to research objective materials and find the truth, which so many of the early church fathers (objective material) attest is the teaching of the Catholic Church.

Catholic politicians have a hard time reconciling their religious obligations with their political stances, and so often they end up swaying to public opinion. Here, in these instances, hypocrisy is so very evident. These people say that they are only trying to represent the general public and their views, but they cannot possibly support abortion or deny the reality of the Eucharist while maintaining their Catholic identities. In situations like these, people must consider why they are doing what they do and make sure that their actions please God, regardless of anyone's opinions.

The Whisper of Elohim

Elijah was a man that truly listened to God and tried to do His will, no matter what the odds and regardless of the situation. When he was up against a "multitude" of Baal's prophets, he alone stood up for the Lord, God of Israel. Then, when Jezebel threatened his life, he walked for forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, where he waited for God to reveal Himself to him. There was a mighty wind, which broke the rocks before it because it was so powerful. Then, there came an earthquake, followed by a great fire. All of these seemed to be ways in which God would reveal himself to Elijah, since He had done similar things in the past. However, Elijah was truly listening and waited a little longer.

Elijah's patience and attentiveness resulted in his becoming aware of God's will, enabling him to carry that Holy Will out for God's greater glory. We, too, need to listen attentively for the voice of God in our lives. So often we allow ourselves to become distracted and, even when we are praying, allow our minds to wander. We cannot be totally God's until we learn to listen to God in prayer, because prayer is a conversation. No conversation can bear any fruit unless both parties are listening and talking to each other; we know God listens and speaks to us, and we need to do our part to build that relationship.

We are free to ignore God's voice, or to neglect to listen for it. This is part of the awesome gift and great responsibility of our free will. Elijah shows us what we need to do at every moment of every day. Our search to learn God's will begins at the most fundamental level; it begins inside of us, in our hearts, where Jesus longs to sit, enthroned as King. Let us, then, never falter in our prayers, never slow down, but run with all our mind, heart, soul, and strength towards our sweet Lord.