GOD'S GRACE IN THE O.T.

By Boyd Sellers

I have a friend whose concept of God is divided. He sees God in the Old Testament as an intolerant, vicious “warmonger,” without mercy, offering no grace, and leaving death and destruction in His path. Then, in the New Testament, he sees God as an over-tolerant “Father” whose only characteristic is “love,” who endures and accepts any belief or action, and would never punish anybody for anything.

Of course, both views of God are extreme and false. Though His covenants have changed, God’s nature has not changed. He remains, as always, the gracious God who rewards obedience and punishes rebellion and disobedience.

One of the clearest examples of God’s grace in the Old Testament is that of Noah and his generation. The people of Noah’s day had become so wicked that they deserved to die. I know that we are all sinners and “deserve” death (Rom. 3:23; 6:23) but these had reached a point of no return. The “cup of their iniquity” was full. “Every imagination of the thoughts of their heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). The situation “grieved” God and He determined to give man what he deserved -- “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth” (Genesis 6:7). “But Noah found grace” (verse 8). Noah was a sinner too and even though the men of his generation deserved to die, God provided a way through Noah for them all to be saved. In His grace, God gave them time to repent. He provided a man with a message of salvation (2Peter 2:5) and He devised the means by which they could avoid certain destruction in the flood. Keep in mind: They deserved death, but the loving God held out an offer of salvation to these undeserving, wicked, rebellious men anyway. He forced their hand. With the warning of the flood, they had to make a choice. With the building of the ark and the preaching of Noah, they could have chosen salvation. THAT is “amazing grace!”

Noah’s example also illustrates the fact that God’s offer of grace can be refused. The fact that God provided a way for lost men to be saved did not mean that all would be saved. Salvation by grace is conditional. There were conditions to be met. They were living grossly wicked lives. Noah was a preacher of righteousness. They needed to repent and return to God. Most refused His gracious offer of salvation by grace. Peter tells us that “few, that is eight souls were saved by water” (1Peter 3:20). Only eight people accepted the salvation that God’s grace made available to that generation.

From a more “general” standpoint there are at least four basic areas where the grace of God stands out in His dealings with His Old Testament people, Israel.

First, it was grace that provided them with a law that showed them how men ought to live. Knowing that “the way of man is not in himself” (Jeremiah 10:23), they, like men in every age, needed a word from God to show them how to live, Though some may have viewed it otherwise, God’s law was not given to unduly restrict or to keep them from “enjoying life.” In fact, just the opposite was true. Moses said, “And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes. . .for our good always” (Deuteronomy 6:24). God knew what they needed! He knew what was best, and He graciously gave them a law for their good. Here was the word that would keep them from the pitfalls that were destroying the heathen. It was the law that would show them the character of God. It was the law that would draw them to God and make them like Him. It was not merited, deserved or earned. The Law God gave them was a gift of God’s grace.

Second, It was grace that provided for their necessities. Some of the estimates of daily requirements of food and water for the traveling Israelites are astounding. But the gracious God provided. Jeremiah observed that it was Jehovah who “brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt” (jeremiah 2:6). If it had not been for God’s provision, they would have perished! And His provisions were not out of debt -- He owed them nothing! His provisions were unearned, unmerited, undeserved. It was often the case that if God had this rebellious, faithless, stubborn people what they deserved, He would have left them alone to perish in the wilderness. But He provided. THAT is grace!

Third, even in chastening, God’s grace was evident. David was thankful for it (Psalm 119:71) and Asaph, though he had difficulty learning to appreciate God’s chastening, was made to realize how essential it was for his well-being (see Psalm 73). When the kingdom of Judah had filled to the brim its cup of iniquity, God chastened severely with the 70 year Babylonian captivity. But even in chastening, God said, “I know the plans that I have for you. . . plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11, NASB). There would have been no hope without the chastening of the gracious God.

Finally, God’s grace is nowhere more evident than in His willingness to forgive when an erring son repented and returned humbly to Him. Whether it was the people of Nineveh (Jonah 4:2) or a “man after God’s own heart” (Psalm 32:5. Jehovah waited with open arms ready and willing to forgive.

The amazing grace of God is written on every page of the Old Testament. With David all could say, “He hath not dealt with us after out sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities” (Psalm 103:10 -- “Gracious is the Lord” (Psalm 116;5).