~God of the O.T vs. God of the N.T~

When was the last time you got to know of a really good story line that made you give a thumbs up to the director for coming up with something so captivating and well thought through? I just experienced it this afternoon during my service. The speaker was touching on the passage Deut 23:1-25 today and the 1st verse goes like this:

1“No one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the LORD.

He went on to explain that because God is a Holy God, He cannot allow something defiled and unclean, in this case a eunuch, to enter His presence. A Perfect God demands Perfection. That sounds pretty harsh doesn’t it? But before we start judging and excluding people from the Christian faith, he went on to show us another passage where the prophet Isaiah prophesized about the redemption of such people. In Isa 56:3-5 it says,

3Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say,
“The LORD will surely separate me from his people”;
and let not the eunuch say,
“Behold, I am a dry tree.”
4For thus says the LORD:
“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,
5I will give in my house and within my walls
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off.

This prophecy became a reality where in Acts 8:34-38 it says, (you can read the whole story from 8:26-39)

34And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. 36And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 38And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.

Is God then a fickle-minded and inconsistent God? I say no. God is Holy. No doubt about it. But He is also a Gracious God who extends Mercy to those who call upon Him. Rather than thinking that He is inconsistent, shouldn’t it give comfort to all of us?! Because it is not just the eunuchs who are forbidden to appear before a Holy God. I don’t deserve to be in God’s assembly as well! I’m sinful, wretched, rebellious, disobedient, the list can go on and on. But because of what Christ has done, I can now enjoy being in God’s presence. Isn’t this “story line” cool? From one that is without hope, to one where hope is pronounced and finally where hope is realized, God is indeed still the same God of the Old Testament and the New Testament. On a side note, the O.T is really interesting, if we can read it in the light of the O.T. It should leave you and I in awe.