“Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name.” Malachi 3:16(NLT)

So, what then do we do with the revelation of God in the Old Testament that makes Him appear fussy and particular? Is He particular? When God said “that tree” in the garden, He meant it and as a result they died. When He said to Abel and Cain bring a blood sacrifice, he meant it. Cain thought he would be more creative and come to God in whatever way he pleased. He was rejected and cursed. In Leviticus 10 Nadab and Abihu, who were ordained ministers, took lightly the expressed council of God and they were consumed. In 2 Samuel 15, King Saul, in dealing with the Amalekites was told to destroy everything (for a good reason I might add), but he chose to spare King Agag and the sheep (for sacrificing). He was condemned. Uzzah was told not to touch the ark (2Sam 6:6) – he only wanted to steady it – but he was consumed in a flash. In 2 Kings 5 Naaman was told to plunge in the Jordan 7 times, on the 7th he was cleansed. In Acts 5:1-11 Annarias and Saphira lied and were struck dead. In Luke 17 Jesus said, “Remember lots wife.” When they fled they were told not to look back. She did and was liquidated. We could talk about the days of Noah, Sodom and Gomorrah, or the bloke who stole a garment from Jericho and his whole family were put to death. 20,000 were slain in a rebellion in the desert, and so it goes on!

Is this Harsh? Is it over reacting? There were no trials, no second chances. Is God more tolerant today? In the Old Testament we get a revelation of the severity of God. How come we don’t hear stories like these today? People today are irreverent, blasphemous, and evil and yet live to a ripe old age. Can we live as we like now with the assurance that God will treat us with compassion and not Judgment? Can the sins of the Old Testament that brought death, now be committed without impunity? Is it safer to sin today? Are the rules negotiable? It is true that the death of Jesus has changed things, but only because the severity of God’s justice against sin has been satisfied. The Old Testament is also full of God’s patience and Love. In fact, there is more grace evident in the Old Testament than in the New – simply because the Old Testament is 5 times bigger and covers more historical time. In His covenant of love and patience, God suffered long and hard with the nation of Israel.

All the above should make it clear from the Bible that we can approach the right God the wrong way and this is dangerous. Procedures are important. We cannot please ourselves. We cannot do as we think or feel. Why do we need to follow the rules? (It is a lie to think the Ten Commandments are not important.) We need to follow the rules firstly because the moral distance between us and God is infinite. Holiness is God’s most distinctive attribute (See Isa 6:3). Everything about Him is holy. His love is a holy love, His anger is a holy anger, His justice is a holy Justice. The first 4 commandments tell us who to worship, how to worship, the approach of worship and the time of worship. Is it OK to mess with the rules? God, in His 4th commandment said the 7th day, is it OK to say any day will do? We have learnt from the Old Testament it is dangerous to mess with the rules.