Grace
Devotions:
Too many times we get our understanding of God from the Old Testament. The saints in the Old Testament only had glimses of God. We get the full picture of God in Jesus. We have Him explained in the epistles. Jesus operated under the Old Covenant until His death when the New Covenant was inagurated. So instead of mixing Old Covenant and New Covenant understanding of God we need to focus on the New Testament, after the resurrection of Jesus.
Jesus spoke law to the Pharisees and grace to sinners. Look at John 8 when they brought the woman caught in adultry. The Pharisees said that the law said to stone her. What did Jesus say. When they forced Him to answer, He said that they who were without sin should cast the first stone. Of course none were without sin so they left. He spoke law to them in a depth they were not expecting. Then He spoke to the woman, "Where are your accusers?" When she said that they had left, He said that He did not condemn her. (though She never repented!) He spoke mercy to her. He spoke law to the Pharisees to get them to see that they could not keep the law and that they needed a savior. He spoke mercy to the woman because she knew that she was a sinner and needed forgiveness.
The Old Testament is to be understood in the light of the cross of Jesus. So there are prophesies in the Old Testament that speak of the New Testament.
"For a brief moment I forsook you, But with great compassion I will gather you. "In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, But with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you," Says the LORD your Redeemer. "For this is like the days of Noah to Me, When I swore that the waters of Noah Would not flood the earth again; So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you Nor will I rebuke you.”
Isaiah 54:7-9 NASB
Israel is our representative. We are the spiritual Israel, not to the exclusion of natural Israel, We are the spiritual Israel becasue we are in Christ Jesus. So where God is talking about His compassion for Israel and that He will never be angry with them again that is for us also. Why? Because all of His wrath was poured out no Jesus for our sins. God's judgement of the world is a judgement on those who reject Jesus.