"Same God Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" August 12, 2018

Overview

Same God Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

There is a temptation, when we encounter difficult passages in Scripture—the destruction of Sodom in Genesis 19, the conquest of Jericho in Joshua 6, or the death of Uzzah in 2 Samuel 6—to want to skip past them, or worse, to use them to construct a picture of an angry "Old Testament God" set against a gentler "New Testament God." Even thoughtful critics like Richard Dawkins fall into this trap, singling out Yahweh of the Hebrew Scriptures as a different deity altogether. But the only differentiation that Scripture allows is between two testaments, not two gods. To take a single hard narrative and use it to make a sweeping claim about God's character is either short-sighted or arrogant; Scripture must interpret Scripture, and the whole witness must be heard.

Hebrews 1:1-3 anchors this conviction: "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son." From Adam and Eve, through Abraham, Moses, Nathan, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, God was already speaking words of redemption and pointing forward to a coming righteous Branch of David. The prophets were never delivering a different message from a different God—they were directing Israel toward Jesus. Why would the God of the Old Testament point creation forward to Jesus if He were a different God? He wouldn't. Jesus is not merely a messenger from the Father, as the prophets were; Jesus is the message. As He told His disciples, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father" John 14:9. On the road to Emmaus, beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted to His disciples the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures Luke 24:27.

This is why the New Testament does not replace the Old but fulfills it. The sacrifices, the dietary laws, the circumcision, the careful observance of the Law—all of it pointed toward the one final sacrifice. At Jesus' baptism and again at His Transfiguration, the Father declared, "This is my beloved Son… listen to him" Matthew 17:5. The new covenant in His body and blood Luke 22:20 is the forgiveness toward which every prophetic word was already reaching. Through Isaiah, God had promised that scarlet sins would become white as snow Isaiah 1:18; through Jeremiah, He promised a righteous Branch from David Jeremiah 23:5-6. Christ is the radiance of God's glory, the exact imprint of His nature, who upholds the universe by the word of His power. Luther urged us not to despise the Old Covenant but to read it with diligence, for it is the foundation of the New.

So when you meet a passage that troubles or confuses you, do not isolate it, and do not skip over it. Read it in light of the whole, and ask how it fits within the promise that culminates in Christ. God is consistent in His mercy, consistent in His love, consistent in His promise—the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow Hebrews 13:8. Today He still actively sustains His creation and delivers His promise of salvation through His Word, the waters of Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and the gathered church, until the day when, as Revelation 21:3-4 promises, He will dwell with His people and wipe every tear from their eyes. The God who spoke in many ways through the prophets has spoken His final Word in Jesus Christ—and that Word is for you.

Transcript

All summer long, we've been turning to Scripture to ask questions. 0s

We asked, why do we worry? 4s

What's the point in praying? 6s

Why do bad things happen to good people? 8s

And today we're going to ask Scripture once again 11s

to explain itself. 14s

Have a quick confession for you. 16s

There was a time when I did not trust the Old Testament. 19s

I didn't trust it. 22s

It scared me. 24s

And what I mean by that is that I would come across a story 24s

that didn't quite make sense. 27s

Was a little disturbing. 30s

It was confusing. 31s

And if I was reading it by myself, 33s

or if I was studying it with others, 36s

I would say, let's just skip past this one. 38s

Let's just go straight to the New Testament. 41s

Skip past the Old Testament. 43s

And what I didn't realize at the time 46s

was that by dismissing the Old Testament, 47s

I was dismissing God's revelation and word. 50s

I was not believing in the full story 56s

of God's relationship with creation. 59s

We know that Scripture interprets Scripture. 64s

But what happens when we can't seem to find 67s

the answers that we're seeking? 70s

What if we don't trust what we read? 72s

What if it doesn't make sense? 76s

I invite you to open your Bibles to Hebrews, 80s

the first chapter, it's page 129 in the Pew Bible of the New Testament. 83s

We will get there. 92s

There are a lot of difficult narratives in Scripture 94s

that we try to figure out, 97s

that we try to reason out and reason with. 98s

And a lot of those harder stories we think 101s

are in the Old Testament. 104s

And it's true, a lot of them are in the Old Testament. 106s

I've got three, for example, Genesis 19, 110s

two angels came to Sodom in the evening 114s

and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. 116s

They entered his house. 119s

He made them a feast and baked them unleavened bread 120s

and they ate. 123s

But before they lay down the men of the city, 124s

the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people 127s

to the last man surrounded the house. 130s

And they called to Lot, where are the men 132s

who came to you tonight? 134s

Bring them out to us that we may know them. 135s

Lot went out to the men at the entrance, 138s

shut the door after him and said, 140s

I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. 142s

The whole, I have two daughters who have not known any man. 146s

Let me bring them out to you and you do to them as you please. 150s

Only do nothing to these men 155s

for they have come under the shelter of my roof. 156s

Or Joshua 6, Jericho was shut up inside and outside 159s

because of the people of Israel, 163s

none went out and none came in. 165s

And the Lord said to Joshua, 167s

see, I have given Jericho into your hand 169s

with its king and mighty men of valor. 172s

When the priests had blown the trumpets, 175s

Joshua said to the people, shout, 177s

for the Lord has given you this city. 179s

And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted 182s

to the Lord for destruction. 185s

The wall fell flat down so that the people went up 188s

into the city every man straight before him 192s

and they captured the city. 194s

Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, 196s

both men and women, young and old, 199s

oxen, sheep and donkeys with the edge of the sword. 202s

And they burned the city with fire 207s

and everything in it. 209s

Or second Samuel. 213s

And David and all the House of Israel 214s

were celebrating before the Lord with songs and liars 216s

and harps and tambourines and castonettes and symbols. 219s

And when they came to the Threshing Four of Nikon, 222s

Uzza put out his hand to the ark of God 224s

and took hold of it for the oxen stumbled. 227s

And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzza 231s

and God struck him down there because of his error 234s

and he died there beside the ark of God. 237s

These are just a few of the passages, 243s

a few of examples that came to mind 246s

when thinking about some of the difficult passages 248s

in the Old Testament. 250s

And the truth is that they are really difficult to hear 252s

and they're really difficult to read. 256s

But a lot of people make the mistake 259s

of reading such stories as these and isolating them. 262s

As if one of these narratives alone could offer us 267s

an informed picture of who God is. 270s

And we use these stories to split God into two. 274s

God of the Old Testament, God of the New Testament. 279s

Richard Dawkins wrote that the God of the Old Testament 283s

is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction. 286s

Jealous and proud of it. 290s

A petty, unjust, unforgiving control freak, 292s

a vindictive bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser, 295s

a misogynistic homophobic racist, infant societal, 298s

genocidal, pestal, pestilential, 302s

megalominoc moniocal, satomasticistic, 306s

capriciously malevolent bully. 309s

Now, keep in mind that Richard Dawkins 313s

clings to his atheism. 316s

So it's really interesting that he should be compelled 319s

to write anything about God, 321s

especially under the premise 324s

that scripture is fictitious. 325s

But notice in this scathing review of Yahweh 328s

that he specifically singles out 331s

the God of the Old Testament. 333s

He did exactly what we are tempted to do. 337s

That is, he differentiated between two gods, 340s

singling out the God of the Old Testament 344s

as opposed to the God of the New Testament. 347s

But the only differentiation that's necessary 350s

is between the two testaments, not two gods. 353s

And when we try to take a single story, 359s

seeking out perhaps the nastiest or scariest story we can find, 361s

when we take that single story 366s

to try to make a giant claim about who God is, 368s

we are either being very short-sighted, 372s

or extremely arrogant. 375s

God in the Old Testament was no different than the God we know 378s

in the New Testament. 383s

We sometimes find ourselves dividing God, 385s

even if it's with the best intentions, 388s

as I did when I tried to skip past the Old Testament, 391s

so that no one, including myself, would be discouraged, 394s

or would question God and his actions. 399s

We divide God because it doesn't always make sense 403s

how God relates to His creation. 406s

But truly, the point is that God does relate 411s

to His creation. 416s

If you look at verse 1 in Hebrews, 418s

it says, long ago at many times, 421s

and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. 423s

Long ago at many times, and in many ways, 428s

God had that intimate relationship with Adam and Eve. 431s

We know this. 434s

We know that He promised to bless the nations 435s

through the great lineage of Abraham. 438s

And when the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt, 440s

the Lord appointed Moses as his prophet. 443s

In Exodus 7, He spoke to Moses saying, 447s

you shall speak all that I command you, 449s

and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh 452s

to let the Israelites go out of his land. 454s

The prophet Nathan spoke to David, 457s

spoke from the Lord to David in 2 Samuel. 460s

When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, 464s

I will raise up your offspring after you, 468s

who shall come forth from your body. 470s

And I will establish His kingdom, 473s

your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever, 475s

before me, your throne shall be established forever. 478s

The Lord, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, 482s

though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow, 486s

though they are red, like crimson, they shall become like wool. 490s

The Lord speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, 496s

the days are surely coming, says the Lord, 498s

when I will raise up for David a righteous branch, 500s

and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, 502s

and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 505s

In his days, Judah will be saved, 509s

and Israel will live in safety, 511s

and this is the name by which he will be called, 514s

the Lord is our righteousness. 517s

Indeed, indeed, many times God spoke through his prophets. 521s

The prophets were used as leaders for the people. 525s

They served as advisors to the kings. 528s

They called people to repentance. 532s

They told of a coming restoration for the people of Israel. 534s

Yahweh used his prophets to deliver his message 539s

that was centered around redemption and salvation. 542s

The prophets and the many times and through the many ways 547s

that they had spoken were directing Israel to Jesus. 550s

So why would the God of the Old Testament? 556s

If he were different than the God of the New Testament, 559s

why would he direct attention forward toward Jesus? 563s

Because God of the Old Testament is God of the New Testament, 568s

and Jesus is the exact word that God wanted his creation to hear. 573s

Jesus is the fulfillment of what the prophets had spoken. 579s

Look again at verse 1, 585s

long ago at many times and in many ways, 587s

God spoke to our fathers by the prophets going on, 590s

but in these last days, he has spoken to us by his son, 594s

whom he appointed the heir of all things, 599s

through whom also he created the world. 602s

In these last days, he has spoken to us by his son. 605s

God choosing to speak through the son 610s

is not so much that Jesus was bringing a message from the Father 612s

as the prophets had done, 617s

but it's more that Jesus is the message from God, the Father. 619s

In Jesus, we see the Father. 625s

He is the tangible Lord. 628s

No one could even gaze upon the Father previously 630s

because he was so mighty, so holy, 633s

but in Jesus, we get to know God. 636s

And we have an approachable Lord. 640s

Jesus said, whoever has seen me has seen the Father. 644s

The Father is in me and I am in the Father. 648s

Jesus Christ perfectly shows all that is in the Father. 651s

All we can know about the Father, 657s

as one Thayologian said, 659s

if men cannot learn about God from the Son, 660s

no amount of prophetic voices or actions, 663s

would convince them. 666s

All of Scripture directs us to Jesus 668s

because all of Scripture directs us to the redemption 672s

that we receive from God. 676s

Luke recorded in his gospel 680s

that when Jesus had been resurrected, 681s

he appeared to those two disciples on the road to Amaz. 683s

And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, 687s

he interpreted to them the things about himself 689s

in all the Scriptures. 692s

The prophets were messengers of God 695s

for telling the story of God's redemption 697s

for all creation. 701s

In the Old Testament, 703s

redemption was sought by sacrifices to cover sin, 704s

refraining from certain foods, 708s

circumcising males, and living completely 710s

in compliance with God's law. 713s

In the New Testament, under the New Covenant, 716s

those rules have been fulfilled for you. 720s

And for all mankind, by Jesus Christ, 722s

the New Covenant is Jesus Christ. 727s

At Jesus baptism, the Father spoke and said, 732s

this is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased. 735s

At the Transfiguration of Christ, 739s

the Father spoke again and said, 741s

this is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased. 744s

Listen to him. 748s

Jesus told his disciples plainly 751s

that there is a new covenant in his body, 754s

a new covenant in the shedding of his blood, 758s

listen to him. 763s

The new covenant is for the forgiveness of sins. 765s

God used the prophets to direct us to Christ 770s

and use Christ to direct us to our salvation. 772s

We cannot fully understand why creation was ordered 777s

in such a way that a sacrifice must be made, 782s

but we can understand that Jesus is the final 785s

and only sacrifice needed for our sin. 789s

Redemption is found through Jesus Christ, 794s

Jesus who is air of all things through whom 797s

God created the world. 800s

He redeems you and I from our sin. 801s

The prophets directed us to Jesus, 805s

the radiant glory of God because he fulfilled 809s

God's promise. 813s

He has made our sins though like scarlet to be snow. 814s

He is the righteous branch of David. 819s

In verse 3 of our Hebrews reading, 823s

it says he is the radiance of the glory of God 826s

in the exact imprint of his nature, 828s

and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. 830s

Jesus exactly represents God to us 835s

because Jesus exactly is God for us. 840s

The Son and the Father are one. 845s

Jesus brings to us the redemption God promised 849s

in the Old Testament. 852s

So there's not a differentiation between old and new. 854s

It's not old verses new. 859s

There's only a fulfillment of a promise. 861s

The new completing the old. 864s

Luther said not to despise the old covenant, 869s

but to read it with diligence for the Old Testament 871s

is the foundation for the New Testament. 874s

And the New covenant in the New covenant, 878s

Jesus is actively sustaining his creation, 881s

delivering his promise of salvation to us today 886s

through his word, through the waters of baptism, 890s

through communion, through our congregations, 893s

and the church as a whole until he comes again. 898s

So are there narratives in Scripture that are difficult 904s

or don't quite make sense when we read them? 907s

Yes, there are. 912s

We have to really sort through and invite ourselves 913s

to test Scripture against Scripture, 917s

reading it together so that it will become clear to us. 920s

If we know that all of Scripture directs us right to Jesus 925s

and the redemption we have in the Son, from the Son, 929s

we can approach those readings seeking to find how they fit, 935s

how they fit in with the promise, 938s

instead of singling them out to discredit the whole of God's word. 941s

God is absolutely the same yesterday, 947s

today, and tomorrow. 950s

God is God is God. 953s

He is consistent in His mercy. 957s

He is consistent in His love, 961s

and He is consistent in His promise. 964s

And the promise that we have for the future is that 968s

we have a future, an eternal existence with God 972s

and all of His saints. 977s

In Revelation 21, it says, 979s

see the home of God is among mortals. 982s

He will dwell with them. 985s

They will be His peoples, and God Himself will be with them. 987s

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. 991s

Death will be no more, morning and crying and pain 994s

will be no more. 998s

In the Old Testament, God spoke through the prophets, 1000s

but His final word is spoken in Jesus Christ. 1004s

And the new promise that we have in through and by Christ. 1008s