Can we find good in God?

[marco]

I cannot see much in the OT God beyond violence and anger. He may have removed the splinter from someone's foot but the general picture, for me, is one of unremitting terror, except when he is addressing a favourite human. For example, what friend would ask a father to kill his son?

We can all find examples of savagery, brutality, jealousy, spite ,,, but since it is Christmas, can we try to find examples where Jehovah is unambiguously kind?

Or is Jehovah simply beyond redemption?

[KingandPriest]

since it is Christmas, can we try to find examples where Jehovah is unambiguously kind?

Lets begin in the beginning. In Genesis 3:21-23 after "The Fall" of man due to sin.
"21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.� 23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. "

Rather than punish Adam and Eve with the sentence they should have gotten right away (thereby ending the human species all together, which includes you and I), the Lord instead chose to cover Adam and Eve with better clothing (animal skin) than the leaves they had used before.

In addition, God prevented them from eating of the tree of life, which would mean they would not die and thus remain in a perpetual state of "fallen" or sinful forever.

[marco]

The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

God, who created Black Holes and the Milky Way, gave Halley's Comet its precise course MADE GARMENTS OF SKIN. Is this divine kindness?

He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.� 23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. "

This sounds like PUNISHMENT not kindness. Of course he could have eaten them up or tortured them. I wanted examples of unambiguous kindness.

In addition, God prevented them from eating of the tree of life, which would mean they would not die and thus remain in a perpetual state of "fallen" or sinful forever.

So he gifted man with death. Is this kindness?

As I thought it is very, very hard to find examples where Jehovah is plain nice. I would guess any examples have to have the kindness teased out of them. We can find innumerable examples where humans have been kind.

[Willum]

[Replying to post 2 by KingandPriest]

Rather than punish Adam and Eve with the sentence they should have gotten right away (thereby ending the human species all together, which includes you and I), the Lord instead chose to cover Adam and Eve with better clothing (animal skin) than the leaves they had used before.

You mean, 'rather than get rid of a batch of two, and start over with two more, God chose to condemn the overwhelming majority of humanity.'

By that I mean, if he had just neutered Adam and Eve, and isolated them the rest of their days, and started over with some better folk, all of humanity would have been spared, well all of the suffering.

If he had just created Bart and Fiona, another perfect pair, then did a little bit better job with instructions and/or baby-sitting...

Yeah, so, no good in God there...

[rikuoamero]

[Replying to post 2 by KingandPriest]

In addition, God prevented them from eating of the tree of life, which would mean they would not die and thus remain in a perpetual state of "fallen" or sinful forever.

...as we all know, God is completely powerless to deal with this sin thing, the only thing he can do to mitigate it is to have his creations die.

Rather than punish Adam and Eve with the sentence they should have gotten right away (thereby ending the human species all together, which includes you and I)

...as we all know, God gets one and only the ONE chance with creating humanity. He gets no 'do-overs', he's forbidden from doing so.

the Lord instead chose to cover Adam and Eve with better clothing (animal skin) than the leaves they had used before.

No polyester? No nylon? Of course, of course, this is the best God can do after all...

[Tcg]

We can all find examples of savagery, brutality, jealousy, spite ,,, but since it is Christmas, can we try to find examples where Jehovah is unambiguously kind?

I can't think of a single example.

Or is Jehovah simply beyond redemption?

I can't think of any reason not to reach this conclusion.

[benchwarmer]

[Replying to post 1 by marco]

Does it strictly have to come from the OT?

If not, how about when God/Jesus changed their mind in this instance:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?s ... ersion=NIV

Leviticus 11
7 And the pig, though it has a divided hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?s ... ersion=NIV

Mark 7
14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.� [16] [f]

17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 “Are you so dull?� he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 19 For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.� (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)

Sweet, sweet bacon baby!!!

If it wasn't for that, all Christians would be eating turkey bacon. Blech.... or worse, tofu bacon ... Apparently God is kind!

[Divine Insight]

Rather than punish Adam and Eve with the sentence they should have gotten,....

What in the world are you talking about? What punishment should they have gotten?

You seem to be forgetting that it was this nasty God who decreed this punishment in the first place.

Why should Adam and Eve deserve death? That's insane already.

[1213]

,,, but since it is Christmas, can we try to find examples where Jehovah is unambiguously kind?

He gave us freedom and possibility to reject Him. And even when people have rejected God and made many evil things, He allows us to have many good things.

But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.
Mat. 5:44-45

[rikuoamero]

[Replying to post 9 by 1213]

He gave us freedom and possibility to reject Him.

I get that with every person by default (the reject part). I'd expect God to offer us something...more, better, grander?

And even when people have rejected God and made many evil things, He allows us to have many good things.

Like when he had foreign nations invade and conquer Israel whenever they turned to false gods...oh wait...