Old Testament VS. New Testament - How is it the same God?

[JTD]

Hello everyone! I recently read the New Testament, and decided to start the Old Testament. I'm honestly in shock. After starting the Old Testament, it sounds like two completely different religions and Gods.

In the New Testament, I get this picture of God being this forgiving, graceful, and fair God. Then, in the Old Testament, I read things that I just can't believe!


Here are some examples:


Exodus 21:2 "If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years."

Exodus 21:7 "If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as menservants do"

Exodus 21:20 "If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result, he must be punished, 21 but he is not to be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two, since the slave is his property. "

Now you can't say "God is against slavery", look at these verses, it doesn't say "Don't buy a slave", it says "If you DO buy a slave"!, it doesn't say don't beat your slaves, it says just don't kill them, their your property anyways...

I came across those in Exodus, I was in complete shock. I always thought God was against slavery.

I'm 100% Christian, but reading the Old Testament is breaking my heart, I just can't believe what I'm reading.

 

[Joe67]

JTD,

Do you own anything? Have you ever experienced something you own to quit working just at the moment you felt you needed its service? Have you ever sold your services as an employee to be under the direct authority of another human, telling you what to do and how to do it and that person urging you to work with more energy?

Before you judge God, consider your own world of activity.

I know not your age or experience, but I am old and have experienced these things in the world in which we live. If you receive your income through the sweat of your own body, then you will know that of which I am speaking. If another person's labor is providing your support, then the wisdom will be hidden from the eyes of your understanding.

Your brother in Jesus,
Joe

 

[stovebolts]

Hi JTD,

This is where it helps to understand the culture. They didn't have welfare back then so if you went in debt, you could sell yourself as a slave. It was a voluntary choice.

Also, you have to keep in mind Jubilee and how that all tied into it.

As far as beating your slave with a rod, you couldn't just go out one day and beat your slave with a rod because you were having a bad hair day. But the point of the verse is to be focused on killing your slave with the intent to murder him. You couldn't murder your slave which takes on a different tone than killing your slave, and if you did murder your slave, you would be punished for murder. If you did beat your slave and he lived for a couple of days before he died, then that would show that the slave owner did not beat his slave with the intent to murder him.

You have to keep in mind also that God meets us where were at. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for 400 years. They understood beating as a means as they were beat by the Egyptians, it was part of their fabric and the Exodus is just that, it was their redemption from physical slavery, now its time to move them away from the spiritual bondage. I believe that God meets us where we are, and gets us to look into our hearts to reflect, and that's what Moses is doing here. He's getting them to look at motive and the line is drawn in the sand that Murder is not acceptable.

Hope that helps a bit.

 

[JTD]

Best explanation I've heard so far. Thanks for your reply.

 

[stranger]

StoveBolts

The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for 400 years. . .

This was revealed to Abraham in a dream -- there was cost to in being God's nation (of slaves) that would inherit the land promised to Abraham. The 'laws' given to the generation of slaves that left Egypt (as has been suggested) and in the remainder of biblical revelation God goes to great pains to explain exactly what He redeems man from ie slavery so sin, death and foolishness (wisdom contrary to God's wisdom). The very fabric and nature of 'sin' is enslaving- it just takes time to see how it enslaves...

So SB you struck the right cord in your answer.

blessings

 

[mondar]

Hello everyone! I recently read the New Testament, and decided to start the Old Testament. I'm honestly in shock. After starting the Old Testament, it sounds like two completely different religions and Gods.

In the New Testament, I get this picture of God being this forgiving, graceful, and fair God. Then, in the Old Testament, I read things that I just can't believe!


Here are some examples:


Exodus 21:2 "If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years."

Exodus 21:7 "If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as menservants do"

Exodus 21:20 "If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result, he must be punished, 21 but he is not to be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two, since the slave is his property. "

Now you can't say "God is against slavery", look at these verses, it doesn't say "Don't buy a slave", it says "If you DO buy a slave"!, it doesn't say don't beat your slaves, it says just don't kill them, their your property anyways...

I came across those in Exodus, I was in complete shock. I always thought God was against slavery.

I'm 100% Christian, but reading the Old Testament is breaking my heart, I just can't believe what I'm reading.

Did you ever read the book of Philemon very close?

Parts of Matthew, Luke, and Revelation are far worse.

 

[wavy]

Wow, these explanations are horrible!

Firstly, yes, it is true that fellow Hebrews could sell themselves into a mild form of slavery (like indentured servanthood) for 6 years, and be manumitted the 7th year, at the death of the high priest or during the year of Jubilee. But this did not apply to gentiles. Read what Yahweh has to say here:

As for your male and female slaves whom you may have--you may acquire male and female slaves from the pagan nations that are around you. Then, too, it is out of the sons of the sojourners who live as aliens among you that you may gain acquisition, and out of their families who are with you, whom they will have produced in your land; they also may become your possession. 'You may even bequeath them to your sons after you, to receive as a possession; you can use them as permanent slaves. But in respect to your countrymen, the sons of Israel, you shall not rule with severity over one another.
--Leviticus xxv.44-46


Gentile slaves were permanent slaves, and were treated harshly. But fellow Hebrew slaves (verse 46) could not be treated harshly. This does not at all sound like God 'meeting people where they're at' or like getting a job, as one user rationalized it.

This reeks of the customs of a primitive people who were prejudicial and hateful towards all other races, considering them inferior.

Thanks,
E.L.B.

 

[nmwings]

Whoa, Nellie! Before you start getting hysterical, you need to FINISH reading what it says. You will find that God repeats Himself many times (hint-hint... that's how important they are!)

Exodus 21:2 "If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years."

Please turn to Deut 15:13-15..... "And when you send him out free from you, you shall not send him away empty-handed. You shall adorn him generously from your flock, from your threshing floor, and from your wine cellar. As the Lord your God has blessed you, so shall you give unto him. And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you: therefore I command you regarding this matter today."

Exodus 21:20 "If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result, he must be punished, 21 but he is not to be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two, since the slave is his property. "

Slavery was/is a way to escape debt. The way God commanded, it is a wonderful and JUST DETERRENT from living above and beyond one's means. Howbeit today, all we need to do is file Banruptcy and continue living our lives like usual. What has that done to our economy in the last 10 years?? Like always, man has defiled and corrupted the word of God. And now, when we hear the word "slavery" we immediately think of the brutality committed against negroes in our not-so-distant past. Keep in mind, that form of slavery was a perversion of God's perfect Law. So, yes- slaves are/were property. But if that is too much for you to handle right now, turn to Deut 23:15 "Thou shall not turn over unto his master a slave which has escaped from his master. He shall dwell with you, in your midst, in whatever place which he shall choose in one of your cities, which is beneficial to him: you shall not taunt him."

In other words, a slave can rightfully run away from his harsh master, and no one could return him.

I'm 100% Christian, but reading the Old Testament is breaking my heart, I just can't believe what I'm reading.

Please be very careful. The God of the New Testament is the exact same God as the Old. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. You would do well to understand that the Bible must be taken literally. And you must put away your "preconceived notions" about who and what God really is. Those "notions" are already putting you at odds with God's Word. You were taught that God is all-loving and merciful and gracious.... and HE IS!!!! But, as you continue reading the "Old" Testament, you will find He has a very..... shall we say... "Nasty Side." He is very slow to anger, but when He has had enough, His Judgment is swift and fierce. Now, the important thing to do now, is to find out what makes Him angry. And you are doing exactly that. You are reading His Word. You are reading Yeshua (Jesus). When you break one of His Commandments, you make Him angry. You break them long enough and you will come under His wrath. That's exactly what happend to Israel then, and that's exactly what's happening to Israel today. (Perhaps you are going through some hardship in your life? Something has driven you to delve into the "Old" Testament. What that is, I cannot say. Perhaps God is trying to tell you something?)

David, a man after God's own heart, said in Psalms 111:10 "The FEAR of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that perform His Commandments: his praise endures forever." In other words, if you want to be wise, FEAR GOD! And if you fear God, you will live your life the way He told us to! The more you adhere to a Holy lifestyle, the more you will understand. Note that David tells us that WE shall be praised forever because we obeyed His Commandments!

So continue in your reading and get to know the real God. Stop relying on other people's ideas of who and what God is. You will find that many of their interpretaions contradict what God says about Himself (whether it be in words or actions) and His Laws.

Be of good cheer. Your journey has just begun!!!