Are you sure there's only one God?

I have had a chance to be a part of several conversations about our reading through the Old Testament. While it is exciting to know there are people like me still reading through mostly unfamiliar chapters and books of the Bible, there is one recurring questions that keeps being asked. Folks want to know where the God of love, mercy and grace is hiding! Amid the conquest and settlement of Canaan, the stories of the early kings of Israel, and now the continuing saga of the rival kings of Israel and Judah, it is hard to see the characteristics of God that frame our understanding as Christians. It is no wonder that there are those who mistakenly think there are two Gods in the Bible - an Old Testament God, blood thirsty and vengeful, and a New Testament God, gracious and forgiving.

This week’s reading should help a bit. In 2 Kings, Chapter 5, we meet Naaman, the king of Aram’s general. He is seeking a cure for leprosy, and believes the prophet Elisha can offer him healing. Given the conflict between the Arameans and the Hebrews, the reader would certainly not expect to have this account be a positive one. However, the Biblical writer uses this encounter between Elisha and Naaman to tell us something significant about God and God’s relationship with humankind. Naaman is cured, not because he is worthy, offers appropriate riches in return, nor for any other ability or quality. Naaman is cured because God desires to bring new life to Naaman. God freely and graciously offers compassion and healing to an outsider, an enemy. Sound familiar?

Jump ahead to Luke 4:17-30, and read the account of Jesus preaching this story in his hometown. God’s grace is not always popular, nor reserved for those whom we deem worthy. The God of love, mercy and grace is not hiding, waiting for the turn of the page into the New Testament. God’s reconciling and redeeming work is part of the fabric of the Old Testament, too. There is one God who is concerned and compassionate toward ALL people. Thanks be to God for that unfailing gift! - Rev. Debby Fox, pastor of Christian Education and Discipleship