There are many instances in the New Testament where we can see God’s character shine through by the miracles He did. Sometimes, I think it can be easy to forget about the Old Testament miracles and how they show characteristics of God as well. For just a few minutes, I want to take a quick look at some of those miracles and see what we can learn about God’s character.
1. Elijah and the Widow
In this story found in 1 Kings 17, we find out that there is a drought in the land and that food and water are running low. We meet a widow who is just trying to scrape by with her son. When Elijah finds her, he instructs her to make a cake of bread for him to eat and then make one for her and her son. Would there be enough though? After all, they only had a handful of flour and a little bit of oil. But God makes sure they’re taken care of. The widow’s flour and oil never ran out. From this story, we see that God is our protector. He is going to make sure we have everything we need. Now, there is a way in which we can lose that protection. If we choose not to have a job to earn money for our necessities, God is not going to provide that for us.
“…If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.”
2 Thessalonians 3:10 NKJV
It does not mean that God loves us any less, but sin must be punished and laziness is a sin. Following God means you must give up every worldly thing and put Him first, but in exchange you gain everything, spiritually. With our obedience, comes God’s protection.
2. Elijah’s Contest With the Prophets of Baal
During the time of the kings, God’s people were being influenced by idolatry. Their king at the time, Ahab, worshiped Baal. Elijah gives the people the option to choose which god they think is the real one. After Baal’s prophets’ unsuccessful attempt at proving their god was the real one, it was Elijah’s turn. Elijah knew that his God was the true God. He made his altar physically impossible to set on fire, yet God sends fire down and consumes everything on the altar (1 Kings 18:20-40). What does this tell us about God’s character? I think it shows us that God will give us proof that He is the one, true God. Although miracles don’t happen today, God has still given us evidence that He is God. We don’t have to have a blind faith. We can be confident that the God we’re serving is the real God.
3. The Bronze Serpent
Numbers 21:4-9 reminds us that God’s salvation is conditional. In this story, we read about the Israelites and how they sinned by speaking against Moses and God. As punishment, God sent fiery serpents that would bite and kill them. When they came to their senses and realized what they had done was wrong, they asked for Moses to pray that God would get rid of the serpents. God gave them a way to be saved. He instructed Moses to make a serpent and put it on a pole for everyone to see. But, the salvation God provided came with a condition. They had to look at the serpent on the pole. God provides a way for us to be saved today, but it’s conditional as well. We must be willing to have faith in God, repent of our sins, confess that Jesus is God’s Son, be baptized to have our sins washed away, and remain faithful, living as close to the life of Christ as we can. If we do all of those things, we can obtain eternal salvation.
God’s character doesn’t change (Malachi 3:6). The characteristics of God that we learn from the Old Testament all those years ago are still present today under the New Covenant. It’s comforting to know that we serve a God who stays the same and that we really can learn His character and get to know Him better.
