Mercy in the OT: Are You Innocent? (POTW Part 1)

Let’s start at the very beginning. To set the scene, we’re in the Garden of Eden, our initial Paradise.  Our first humans, Adam and Eve, have full reign over creation, as they were commanded to do. But there was one little caveat. They were allowed to eat from every single tree in the garden except one: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam was told in no uncertain terms: “Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die.” Pretty straightforward. Eat whatever you want except from this tree. Eat from this tree, on that day you die. So clear and so easy…well, apparently not really. In due time, Adam and Eve commit the first sin: usurpation of the role of God. In eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they made the statement that we all make when we disobey the Lord: “I know what’s best for me and I’m going to go out and get it.” So the consequence is clear, right? God struck them down on the spot, right? Nope.

            The curse and exile of Adam and Eve are, to put it simply, the first act of mercy in the Bible. He promised that they would die on that day. Physically, they lived. This fact, in and of itself, speaks to each and every one of us and our sin. Each and every one of our sins is worthy of the same penalty: death. And yet, if you’re reading this right now, chances are you’re alive. Why? Because of the grace and mercy of your Creator. His love for you is manifested in the fact that you are breathing right now. “Really, Malcolm? I don’t really think so. Sure, I may have lied to my friend a few minutes ago, but surely that’s not worthy of death!” Well, Ms. Interlocutor, it seems that you need a little lesson in the way that punishment for broken laws works. The principle is this: the punishment for an offense depends on the dignity of the offended.

            As a human example, if I were to, hypothetically, punch my younger brother in the face, I would face a penalty, most likely exacted by my parents if I am under their roof. If I punch a stranger on the street, I may face charges for assault. If I punch the POTUS in the face, I’ll face all kinds of legal unpleasantries, including, but not limited to, possibly being shot on sight. Why? Because the punishment for an offense depends on the dignity of the offended. That’s the way our society seems to work. Now let’s put a divine spin on this. Your lie is a disobedience of the commandment that we not bear false witness. This commandment is given by an infinitely good God. Thus, your offense is infinitely bad and therefore worthy of infinite punishment. Thus, hell. Simple, and also extreeeemmmeeely rough*. But hopefully this helps you realize just how deep and extensive the grace of God is. In the case of Adam and Eve and numerous examples in the Old Testament like David, (a man after God’s own heart, who also, interestingly, egregiously and eagerly breaks about half of the commandments in a matter of days), God’s mercy and grace are continually on their lives and He, instead of striking them down, allows them time to repent and then...forgives them! For overt defilement of His name and His decrees, He forgives them (and us) constantly. And he does this because it pleases Him to do so. As a matter of fact, according to Scripture, because of Christ, it is just for him to do it.  Forgiveness as justice. I, for one, think that’s pretty cool.

            In closing, I’ll leave you with this.  The reason that it bothers us when we see intense suffering or entire peoples wiped out in the Old Testament (please correct me if I’m wrong) is that deep down, we feel like no one deserves that. Deeper down, or perhaps closer to the surface, we believe that we ourselves would never deserve such judgment. “I’m a pretty good guy/gal”, we tell ourselves. “I haven’t done anything worthy of eternal damnation, anyways.” We see ourselves as “basically good” and so the awareness of our need for forgiveness is dulled. That’s the lie that the Enemy wants to perpetuate in our minds. Jesus did die for our sin, past, present and future, once and for all. But every Christian knows that that doesn’t mean that we stop sinning altogether in this life. The closer we get to God and His holiness, the more that we submit to His will, and the more that we study and ingest His Word, the more aware we become of the work that we and His Spirit must do. As Paul said, “For those he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Romans 8:29) That is the goal: that we might look more like Christ. I, like Paul, encourage you to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and do of his good pleasure.”(Philippians 2:12b-13) It is a walk where we are, in the same moment, entirely active and entirely dependent. There are things that we must do and disciplines that we must enact. But there is also a God that we must submit to and be forgiven by. The only way to truly understand it is to live it. I encourage you to do so. Be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. Complacency isn't an option. 

            Next time, wrath in the New Testament, then a wrap-up. The party continues. I’m going to take a break from this daily updating over the weekend so I’ll get back to it on Monday. I’ll use this weekend to build up a reserve of future posts! Update time: 6:00 P.M. every weekday. 

            May the Lord continue to bless you and keep you!

*Note: My mentions of hell are not fear tactics. They are merely statements that I feel are backed up by Scriptural context. One does not have to come to Christ because of fear. But, needless to say, fear, especially well-placed, is a excellent motivator. After all, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and fools despise wisdom and instruction.