Many people rely on a God who is lovely and easily manipulated.  The God of the Old Testament is long suffering.  He overlooks the shortcomings of beings who live in rebellion to himself.  He allows sin to grow without punishing it as it deserves.  There is grace in the Old Testament.  There is also judgement.  The slaughter would be genocide if the recipients were innocent.  However, even those who deliver God’s judgement are worthy of the death they deliver.

It is therefore against the backdrop of much bloodshed that the New Testament arrives.  It is natural that the shepherds would have feared death at the sight of an angel of God.  What they heard was the dawning of a new era.

“Glory to God in the highest,
      and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2: 1-20

 ¹In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ²(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³And everyone went to his own town to register.

 ⁴So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

 ⁸And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ^[a] the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

 ¹³Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
 ¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest,
      and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

 ¹⁵When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

 ¹⁶So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Questions

1. What stories of death and destruction perpetrated by God are you aware of in the Old Testament?
2. What view of righteousness is such death and destruction meant to represent?
3. How does a period of peace and favour contrast with the Old Testament?
4. How do you deal with the kind of death the Bible says that you deserve?
5. What is the appropriate reaction to the announcement of a saviour who will bring peace between Creation and God?

Going Deeper

The pictures above are taken from the Brick Testament.  Many stories from the Bible have been recreated using lego.  The workmanship is impressive.  The verses are faithfully reproduced.  However, the creator of Brick Testament uses words like genocide and massacre to describe God’s actions.  Look over the story of Joshua and Jericho to see what you think:  http://www.thebricktestament.com/joshua/massacre_of_jericho/jos06_01.html  (You need to start on the first picture and then click the arrow to go through the story).  Obviously the creator of Brick Testament is critical of the biblical story.  Why do you think the Old Testament is so hard for people?

If the Bible is one Grand Narrative or Big Story, how does the Old Testament set the scene for the New Testament?  How is Jesus’ arrival the fulfillment of Old Testament teaching?  Where does Luke 2 fall in the Grand Narrative if Revelation is the end of the story?