Violence and the Old Testament
May 30|The Bible Series
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TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. Deuteronomy 7:9
Read: Deuteronomy 7:1-9
Listen: Deuteronomy 7
TODAY’S MESSAGE
God promises to bring Israel into Canaan, the long-awaited promised land first given to their ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. However, God provides clear instructions before they take the land. Israel must remain faithful to their holy God and separate from the Canaanites. They must remove the prevalent, evil culture. God plans to establish Israel as a sacred land and people to show the world what he is like.
People often question how to reconcile the violence of the Old Testament with Jesus in the New Testament. It’s not a new question, and people have wrestled with this for generations. We might even question if they’re the same God. The Bible is an ancient document written to an ancient culture. Some of its passages may feel foreign and uncomfortable to us. Yet, with the Holy Spirit’s help, we can lean into the discomfort and grow to love God more. And the work of scholars who’ve diligently studied these ancient cultures can help bring context and meaning.
This week we’ll see God’s covenant with Abraham and its foreshadowing of Jesus’s work on the cross. Then, we’ll discover God’s great mercy through Jonah to Nineveh, offering a glimpse of the mercy of Jesus. We find that the God of the Old Testament is indeed the same as the New Testament. He is consistently gracious, just and worthy of our trust.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Commit in prayer to growing your understanding of God and his words. “God, I admit some parts of the Bible are hard to understand. Please open my eyes this week to your character. I desire to grow my understanding of you and your Word. Amen.”
2022 BIBLE MEMORY PRACTICE
Develop spiritual roots and tap in the power of God’s word by memorizing monthly a Bible verse! View previous verses at beyondtheweekend.org/biblememorypractice.
MATTHEW 22:37-39
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
