Nature of God and Humanity | Online Homework Help

Nature of God and Humanity
The Bible is viewed as a holy book that reminiscent the working of God. The book exemplifies the doings, nature, and attributes of God and humanity. The Old Testament has 39 books that talk about the doings of God. Different authors write various books at different times which talk about God. The nature of human and God is exemplified precisely in the Old Testament. Various stories and happenings clearly show the powers and the doings of God. Similarly, through these readings, the attributes of humanity such as sinfulness and unfaithfulness are clearly manifest. Therefore, the Old Testament enhances people’s understanding of humanity and God. This paper delineates on the attributes of God and humanity as illustrated in the various books of the Old Testament.
Human attributes as represented in these books vary. One attribute of humanity is that they are unfaithful. When God created human beings, He expected them to abide by His commandments and do as He expects. However, this is not the case as depicted in various instances from the various books. In the Book of Genesis, when God created Adam and Eve, Eve is tempted by a serpent to commit sin. This one instance shows the unfaithfulness of humanity. Likewise, in Genesis Chapter six, God becomes annoyed because of the failure of human beings to live just lives He does away with his creatures and begins a new generation as captured in the story of Noah and his ark. In this story, human beings became unfaithful by failing to stick to the teachings of God. God therefore commanded Noah to build an ark to preserve every pair of animals to ensure that they continue the generation.
The second attribute of humanity is that they are selfish and jealous. The Old Testament has various instances that illustrate and depict human beings as selfish and jealous. Selfishness is a situation where an individual cares about his or her own plight, while jealous is where a person does not want to see his/ her brothers and sisters prosper or succeed in their endeavors. In the book of Genesis, jealousy is manifest in the story of Abel and Cain, the sons of Adam. Cain is jealous when God rejected his offerings and instead accepted Abel’s sacrifices. Through this jealousy, Cain kills Abel. This illustrates how human beings will behave and act against those that they feel are prospering or are doing the right thing. A second instance of jealousy is in Exodus where Moses resolves to kill an Egyptian because of the mistreatment they suffered in the hands of the Egyptians. This killing happens when Moses learns that he is not an Egyptian but an Israelite. Humans have the habit of always defending their own. Jealousy is also manifest in the book of Ruth. Herman is jealous and wants to destroy all the Jews because of the favor they were given by the King. He therefore plots to kill the Jews but instead he is killed.
In the book of Psalms, the selfishness and jealous of humanity is exhibited. When David kills the husband of Uriah and takes her as his wife is also an indication of selfishness nature of human beings. Jealous is also exhibited in the book of Genesis when Joseph is sold to the Egyptian as a slave. The brothers were jealous because of the love the father showed Joseph and therefore designed on how they could take him away from the father. The brothers of Joseph represent many people that become jealous when they feel their colleagues are receiving greater attention than they are.
The third attribute of human beings is sinfulness. Sin is going against the commandments of God. God gives humans various commandments that they should live and abide. Most of the people do not comply with these commandments and instead go against them. In the book of Exodus, God gives the children of Israel commandment to abide by but instead, they continue sinning and going against him. Cain also sins by killing his own brother. Killing is one of the sins that God wants people to avoid. Sinful nature of human beings is also found in Genesis when God is angered by the acts of the people, and brings down the city of Sodom and Gomorra. In the book of Psalms, David sins by committing adultery. David was a man who loved women and even went to an extent of killing Uriah to take over his wife. In the book of Songs of Solomon, Solomon is also depicted as person that is sinful. He loved women and had married 700 women and had more than 300 concubines.
On the other hand, God is portrayed to have different attributes ranging from loving, sovereign judge, almighty, wrathful, merciful, and forgiving among many others. The loving nature of God is well captured from various books in the Old Testament. For instance, the love of God is manifest in the book of Genesis when He promises Abraham a son, and for sure He gives him. God loves people that respect, fulfill his wishes, and abide by his Commandment. Second instance illustrating God’s love is in the book of Exodus. God loved the children of Israel and he ensured that he honored his promises to them by taking them away from the captive hands of the Egyptians. Through the love he took, the Israelites made out of Egypt amidst strong resistance from Pharaoh.
God also loves and provides at the time of need. In the book of Samuel, God listened to prayers of Hannah and gave her a son by the name Samuel. Hannah was so desperate and therefore, through God’s love her prayers were answered. God also loves his children and through the love, he shows mercy to human kind. People in many instances fail to adhere to the Gods commandments but He is still a loving God and is able to forgive them. One instance is when the people decided to build a tower to reach the heavens to see who God was. God did not cause distraction upon them but instead he showed love, split them in various parts of the earth, and enabled them to speak different languages.
More phrases in the Bible manifest God loves. In the book of Jonah, God is showing love to Jonah when the fish swallows him and then vomits him on the other part of the river. Despite the fact that Jonah disobeyed God when He send him o Nineveh , God still loved him and gave him live again. By allowing the fish that had swallowed him to vomit him, this was a show of God’s love o humankind. The story of Solomon and David is also a clear indication of the loving and forgiving nature of God. These two committed sins before the eye of God but still God showed them love and forgave them. God was able to forgive them even after their sinful nature of committing adultery. God also elevate them to leadership position after the two trusted and hoped in God. Therefore, this is a clear manifestation that God is a loving and forgiving God. He is able to forgive those that sin but humble and those that repent their sins.
God is also wrathful. The wrath of God is manifest in various parts of the book. The wrath of God is exhibited to those that defy his commandments. In the book of Genesis Chapter six, God detracts the people and begins a new generation. Noah builds an ark, which hosts the selected creatures that will form the new generation. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah because of their immoral behaviors of committing adultery and bestiality is also a manifestation of the anger of God. The people of Sodom and Gomorra failed to adhere or keep the commandment of God. God was offended by their immorality and His wrath was shown against them by destructing the entire cities. The book of Jonah still depicts the wrath of God against those that do not do as per His will. The God’s wrath was shown against Jonah when god was annoyed with him after failing to do as God commanded him. Therefore, God showed His wrath against him by allowing a fish to swallow him.
God is also Almighty and a supreme being. The book of Genesis is about the beginning of the earth and everything in it. The Bible records that God created heaven and earth, the earth was void and without form and darkness was upon the faces of the deep. The spirit of God moved upon the face of the water. By the fact that God was able to create the heaven and earth and everything upon them is an indication of his mightiness. No other being is above this God. God is not a human being but is in form of spirit and rules over the land, the water, and the heavens. The book of Genesis still takes record of how God created man. The Almighty power of God is exemplified through his creation. No other human being has ever managed to create a living organism. The Bible records that no single human being t is able to create even one hair on his or her head. Therefore, it is an illustration that God is mighty. Another illustration of nature of God as almighty is illustrated in the book of Job. When devil approached God and told Him that he had the power to tempt Job into lacking trust in God, God commanded the devil not to interfere with the heart of Job. Therefore, through this command, the devil could not touch on Job’s heart. God allowed the devil freedom to temp Job based on material things and other things such as his body but not to touch on his heart. The devil complied with this orders as Job was tempted by the devil whereby his wealth was possessed away, his family members were killed and his body was inflicted but he held unto the Lord.
God’s almighty is also manifest in the book of Psalm when David fought with Goliath. God showed his mighty by using David even though he was a young man compared to Goliath, to defeat him. Another example to show God’s mighty is when He protected Daniel in the den of lions. Daniel trusted God and when he was thrown in the den of the lions, the lions could not harm him. God therefore showed His Almighty as those that had placed him in the den came to testify of the Almightiness of God. They experienced the powers of God as he protected him from the claws of the lions. In the book of Genesis, the mighty nature of God is also manifest when he elevated Joseph to a King who later came to help his brothers that sold him into slavery.
The almighty of God is yet illustrated by his numerous miracles in the book of Exodus and Leviticus. God managed to get the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. He did many miracles in Egypt that allowed Pharaoh to release the Israelites. Example of miracles done includes using frogs. He also was able to make a way out of the Red sea to allow the Israelites to cross. When the children of Israelites arrived at the Red Sea, their hope fade away and even accused God of bringing them death and suffering. However, God showed His greatness when He commanded Moses to use e a stick in his hand to strike the water. Once this was done, a path was formed in the water and allowed them to escape. The Egyptian soldiers pursuing the Israelites drowned in the waters. In the land of Canaan, God also continued to show his mightiness by providing them with manna from heaven. The land was dry and the Israelites could not find a meal but God through His mightiness and powers provided for them. The story of liberating the children of Israelites form the land of Egypt also shows God as merciful. God managed to liberate them form the yoke of slavery and suffering and took them to a land that flowed with honey and milk. Therefore, this indicates how God works. God works in many ways and this indicates the complexities of this God.
In conclusion, the Old Testament has recounted different nature and attributes of God and humanity through different books. God works in different way and His supremacy is exhibited by His doings. God is depicted in many forms including, loving, forgiving, almighty, wrathful, and merciful. Similarly, humankind is also portrayed in various ways. Through different actions of man, the Old Testament portrays humans as unfaithful, sinful and jealous.