The Old Testament is So Judgy

​It kinda kills me when I hear this about the Hebrew Bible—the scriptures in the first part of the Bible, the scriptures of the Jews.  A lot of folks, maybe especially progressive Christians, seem embarrassed by the Hebrew Bible, like it’s all fire and brimstone, like it’s all God’s wrath.  And, fair enough, it’s not like there’s no violence in those books.  And there’s the Law…and there are the consequences of not following the Law.  But, People.  The Old Testament is also where all the good stories are.  Adam and Eve, Jonah, Joseph and his brothers, Ruth and Esther, Elijah and Elisha, Samson and Delilah…. And also: the Old Testament is a chronicle of God’s relentless pursuit of relationship with humanity.  And it’s like they’re still figuring it out (I mean, we’re still figuring it out).  Yahweh and Abraham, Yahweh and Moses, Yahweh and the prophets—they learn from each other and you can see how God is changed by interactions with these people.  Okay, and justice.  God in the Old Testament is a God fiercely consumed by hunger for justice.  It’s where we get “do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God.”  It’s where the prophets rail against the people following the letter of the law but neglecting the care of the vulnerable.  It’s where God reminds them again and again that they were strangers and slaves in Egypt, so they need to treat the foreigner with respect.  And another thing: In the Old Testament God acts through nature all the time.  God is meeting someone on a mountain top, or in a cloud.  God is asking a human to cast his eyes to the heavens or to the sands to see what his legacy will be.  God is the parted waters, letting the Israelites through on dry land.  God is the still, small voice after the whirlwind and the storm in the barren desert.  Plus, the Psalms.  I guess…don’t believe everything you’ve heard about the Hebrew Bible.  I always suggest starting with Genesis if you want to give it a try—you know most of the stories already.