There's a kindness to this Old Testament God equipped with an arsenal of mercy.
From a 20,000-foot view, the God of the Old Testament seems harsh, set on rules, determined to see His children face war. With little theological context, it's easy to assume God and Jesus seem like opposites. How could the two be one? Where does the third part of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, fit into this hodgepodge of character traits?
Friends, this is why studying the Old Testament, book by book, verse by verse, is crucial to understanding God's character, His character that remains unwavering from Genesis to Revelation, even through today.
I recently participated in a three-week study of Habakkuk hosted by Daily Grace Co., and while this minor prophet seems near-hidden amidst the big, booming stories of the Old Testament, these three short chapters reveal a glimmering, beautiful God. Though Habakkuk knew the Israelites were about to face judgment, face the cruel Babylonians, Habakkuk discovered God was glorious--so glorious that even in the middle of His wrath, He was (and is today) good, just, and oh, so loving.
God is both warrior and lover, both guarding and gallant. However, it wasn't until I noticed a few near-barbaric weapons of God's, all scattered throughout the Old Testament, that I understood why He fights--and who He fights for. And though He once appeared as more of a Robin Hood in my heart, I now know He is so good that He not only feeds the poor, but He offers the rich His grace too. There's a kindness to this Old Testament God equipped with an arsenal of mercy.
The God with a Glittering Spear
Judah, as was typical in the Old Testament, was rebelling against God. Again. And again. Oh, and again. After habitual denial of God's guidance in their lives, the Lord told Habakkuk, their prophet at the time, that Jerusalem was going to be annihilated by the Babylonians. It would be a brutal battle, as the Babylonians were known for sadistic war tactics, and the Israelites would lose. (Given God's omniscience, Judah did, indeed, fall to the Babylonians roughly five years following this prophecy.)
Habakkuk opens chapter one, verse one, with an iconic question we all ponder at some point in our lives: Why, God, are you allowing bad things to happen to Your people? Throughout the first two chapters, Habakkuk and God go back and forth, discussing His glory and wonder and goodness despite man's limited definition of graciousness. By the beginning of the third and final chapter, Habakkuk has reflected on God's relentless presence. Habakkuk now knows God as a fierce but loyal Father who would never abandon His children, even in the face of Babylonians.
Habakkuk 3:8-11 (NIV) encapsulates Habakkuk's new vision of God, this mighty warrior of word and deed:
"Were you angry with the rivers, Lord? Was your wrath against the streams? Did you rage against the sea when you rode your horses and your chariots to victory? You uncovered the bow, you called for many arrows. You split the earth with rivers; the mountains saw you and writhed. Torrents of water swept by; the deep roared and lifted its waves high. Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear."
While I love the NIV's version of Habakkuk's vision, the KJV reads: "at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear" (Habakkuk 3:11). This vision of God lighting up the night sky with His glittering spear is holy, powerful, but beautiful too. Even at war, God forever wages battles so beauty and goodness win. This Old Testament God isn't some ruthless, distant deity. Instead, He incites battle to bring deceit and sin to shame, leaving forgiveness and heavenly splendor as eternal champions.
The God with the War Ax
In my debut book, Not so by Myself, I share my vulnerable trip through loneliness, a season weathered by my mistakes and God's grace. However, I share a few verses nestled in Psalms 35 that offer a violent yet vivacious vision of God. Here, He is showcased as the sort of God who has seen so much war yet hasn't grown detested, nauseated, fearful, or bored by the gravest seasons we face.
Psalm 35:1-3 says, "Oppose those who oppose me, LORD, and fight those who fight against me! Take your shield and armor and come to my rescue. Lift up your spear and war ax against those who pursue me. Promise that you will save me" (GNT).
If you know anything about David, you know that while he used a few stones to defeat a giant, while he was "a man after God's own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14), he messed up. And he typically made his mess-ups count. They were big failures, like murder and adultery. These were the sorts of sins no one would want to confess to a bishop, let alone the God of heaven.
But Psalm 35 witnesses David backed into yet another corner. As usual, the enemy was nipping at his haunches and he was ultimately surrounded. He had no out, except for his God. But the beautiful, powerful thing about David's God is that He is the God with a war ax. This isn't the type of rusty, old ax hanging out in the backyard woodpile. Rather, this is an ax handmade for battle, an ax held to the blacksmith's fire to create nothing but victory.
God faces heat, hell's fire, with nothing but victory. Though this seems scary, there's a vivacity to a God who stands in the gaps, who shields life in the face of death, just so imperfect people, even the ones who mess up in the vilest of ways, can access a grace they never deserved.
He's a God with both a war ax and a glittering spear. His quiver is loaded with omnipotent beauty, never-failing, merciful victories. Yet, He is such a humble God. He takes the frontline, fights the enemy, wins by a landslide, walks away without a scratch, and even still, He hands us the trophy. And all He asks in return is that we love Him for it.
I daresay the God of the Old Testament is quite a lover like that. Don't you think?
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Tony Rowell
