Old Testament: Attributes of God

Attributes of God

• The attributes of God in the Old Testament include love, justice, holiness, and faithfulness.
• God's love is presented as a fundamental character of God, demonstrated through His pity and care for Israel in Egypt.
• The Book of Hosea provides a graphic picture of God's love, despite Israel's unfaithfulness.
• God's love is also seen in the event of the Exodus, where He is described as gracious and merciful (Exodus 34:6).

Justice

• God's justice is an attribute that is not always represented as saving, but rather as delivering or predicting woe for Israel when they do not reflect God's character.
• God's moral character is expressed through the prophets, who teach that obedience to God's will is the foundation for man's well-being.
• God is ascribed human-like traits, such as speaking, hearing, smelling, and having eyes and personal emotions.

Personal Character of God

• The Old Testament presents God as having personal and manlike traits, allowing Him to communicate and relate to others.
• God's self-determination implies that He has the power of thought, reflection, memory, and volition, and is able to conceive and work towards purposes in history.
• The self-determination of God is seen in every document of the Old Testament, such as in Genesis 1:3, where God says "Let there be light!"

Living God

• The Old Testament presents God as a Living God, who is not indifferent to Israel's well-being.
• God's discipline and disasters are seen as expressions of His character and will, designed to bring Israel back into the way of God's will.

Holiness

• Holiness in the Old Testament is initially thought of as a numinous quality attaching to God and persons/ things separated from common use.
• The faith of Israel gives a moral content to the term, associated with the teaching of Isaiah, who calls God "The Holy One of Israel".
• God's holiness has both a numinous quality (power and separateness from humanity) and a moral consideration (goodness and mercy).

Faithfulness

• The Old Testament emphasizes God's faithfulness, implying that God is not arbitrary in character, but self-consistent and reliable.
• God's faithfulness means that He does not resort to power to cover fickleness, but is to be trusted in all that He is and does.

Explore the characteristics of God presented in the Old Testament, including love, justice, holiness, and faithfulness. Discuss the significance of God's attributes in the faith of Israel.