Many people think that in the Old Testament there was a harsh and punishing God, and that in the New Testament, a very different God is portrayed, where everything is about love. For this reason, there are doctrines that do not read the Old Testament and only rely on the New Testament. All of this is incorrect because God is the same in both the Old and the New Testament; the Word of God is one, all of it is valid, and neither God nor His Word has changed. In the following verses, the validity of “the Word” is discussed, that is, the entire Bible:
“The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8
“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” 2 Peter 1:19
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
The Lord Jesus Christ Himself emphasized that He did not come to abolish the Old Testament or render it obsolete:
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-20
People who do not know the Word of God deeply do not understand that both the Old and the New Testament are the word of God; that one cannot contradict the other because God does not contradict Himself or change His convictions. The Old and New Testaments do not contradict each other but complement each other; they are two parts chronologically distant, of the same unit. Notice that the Lord does not say that God commanded, or that God said, but he tells them that “it was said,” plain and simple.
EYE FOR AN EYE
The first five books of the Bible were written by Moses between the years 1440 and 1400 BC. At that time, there were no laws, civil or criminal codes, or judges as there were in Jesus’ time (the Roman Empire) or in our society. However, God wanted His people to be orderly, upright, just, and holy. That is why in the books of Exodus, Numbers, and Leviticus, there are numerous civil precepts for society to apply and administer justice.
The law of “eye for an eye” was a rule for judges, not a mandate for the common citizen. In the following passages, it is clear that “eye for an eye” was not a permit for personal vengeance. It was not said so that each person would have justification to unleash their hatred or desire for revenge, but it was given to judges as a normative rule of judgment, to know how to administer justice when there was no written law on the matter.
Let’s analyze some passages that contain the phrase “eye for an eye,” and we will see that it only referred to judges.
“If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” Exodus 21:22-25
“Whoever kills any man shall surely be put to death. Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, animal for animal. If a man causes disfigurement of his neighbor, as he has done, so shall it be done to him—fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has caused disfigurement of a man, so shall it be done to him.” Leviticus 24:17-20
“And the judges shall make careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has testified falsely against his brother, then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother; so you shall put away the evil from among you. And those who remain shall hear and fear, and hereafter they shall not again commit such evil among you. Your eye shall not pity: life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” Deuteronomy 19:18-21
In the three passages above, “eye for an eye” is applied to disputes that were brought before the judges; they were required to inquire thoroughly and compensate the damages with something equivalent. Nowadays, in society, when someone steals, they must compensate for the damage and pay a penalty, such as imprisonment. However, in those times, about 3500 years ago, when there were not even prisons, the penalties applied by the judges were very different, and everything we see in the Bible was to guide the judges in their rulings.
GOD COMMANDS TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
In Exodus 20:1-17, we find the Ten Commandments given by God, also known as “The Decalogue.” The Ten Commandments are the foundation of the mandates upon which the rest are based. The first four are exclusively directed to our relationship with God:
- You shall have no other gods before me,
- You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything,
- You shall not take the name of God in vain, and
- Remember the Sabbath day
However, the next 6 commandments are directed towards loving your neighbor, whether it be a family member (parents), spouse, or someone you don’t even know yet:
- Honor your father and your mother,
- You shall not murder,
- You shall not commit adultery,
- You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor,
- You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Not only in the 10 commandments do we find the duty to love our neighbor, but throughout the Old Testament there are numerous passages, even regarding how we should treat those who harm us and therefore instead of just being a neighbor, they are an enemy:
“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it.” Exodus 23:4-5
“You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” Leviticus 19:17-18
“If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;” Proverbs 25:21
There are Christians who, by reading only the New Testament (if they read it completely), believe that forgiveness and love were invented for the first time in the New Testament. In these passages we just read, we saw how from the beginning, God commanded us to love those who hate us and those who are our enemies. This contradicts all the misinterpretations that say that the old covenant was one of resentment, harshness, and vengeance, in contrast to the new covenant, which is now one of love, forgiveness, and gentleness. They speak as if God was one way before, and now He has changed His way of being and is now in a completely opposite manner. Or as if God the Father was harsh, vengeful, and resentful before, and Jesus Christ was the opposite, gentle, forgiving, and loving. However, all of this is a great mistake; God is the same, His Word is the same, God does not change nor does His Word.
If we delve into the reading of the Old Testament, we find God’s commandments regarding love for the foreigner (even being impartial with him), love for the elderly, widows, orphans, and in general, to any person:
“You shall not give back to his master the slave who has escaped from his master to you. He may dwell with you in your midst, in the place which he chooses within one of your gates, where it seems best to him; you shall not oppress him.” Deuteronomy 23:15-16
“You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child.” Exodus 22:21-22
“Also you shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” Exodus 23:9
“You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the Lord. And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19:32-34
CHARITY IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
In the Old Testament, the tithe every three years was entirely used for charitable works in favor of orphans, widows, foreigners, and Levites, who had no means of support, especially those living in the inland cities, as seen in Deuteronomy 14:28-29. This is how the tithes were administered, according to the law that established it. Deuteronomy 26:12-13 also confirms this. Let’s analyze:
“You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. And you shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always… At the end of every third year you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store it up within your gates. And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, may come and eat and be satisfied, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.” Deuteronomy 14:22-29
As we see, the religious system of the Old Testament was highly charitable. It allocated 33% (one-third) of the benefits received from believers for charitable works; that is, 33% of the budget of the religious organization of the Old Testament was dedicated to charity, to love for the neighbor.
We not only see that this charity was part of the religious system but it also had to be part of the everyday life of a common citizen:
“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 23:22
“But the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and your olive grove.” Leviticus 25:6
“He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” Deuteronomy 10:18-19
After reading the above passages, it is clear that God desires us to be charitable, merciful, to set aside a substantial amount of our earnings for orphans, widows, and the poor in general, and to help needy foreigners.
LOVE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
What happened 1500 years later? What happens today, after 3500 years? Well, mankind seeks to twist the original purpose of that law to adapt it to their vengeful desires and personal hatreds. As always happened (back then and in Jesus’ days), the force of tradition prevailed over the force of God’s law.
One of the things Jesus did was to confront the Jews who listened to him about how the Law was being used for personal vendettas.
People were using the word of God to create a culture of hatred that God never established, not even in the Old Testament, as we have seen before.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.“ Matthew 5:38-48
Another time Jesus teaches by giving examples of how we should not insult anyone, how we should avoid quarreling, and how we should reconcile with any adversary as soon as possible:
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.” Matthew 5:21-26
Another precious passage in the Word is when Jesus talks with a scribe about the commandments, that is, he was asking about the Old Testament, about what the Law said. Jesus answers him based on the Old Testament and the scribe, who was a doctor (of that time) in the Holy Scriptures confirms the truth of his words:
“Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, ‘Which is the first commandment of all?’ Jesus answered him, ‘The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.’ So the scribe said to Him, ‘Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.’ Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ But after that no one dared question Him.” Mark 12:28-34
CONCLUSION
As analyzed in this study, both the Old and New Testaments are complementary, God is the same and has not changed, and He desires that we love our neighbor, make peace with any adversary, and be kind and charitable. Examine your conscience and think about what characteristics identify you as a person. If you want to change your life, we invite you to receive God in your heart, as only Jesus Christ can make you a new person. Visit our page MEET CHRIST.
