God the Father is recognized as the Creator and Supreme Authority of the universe, the Father who gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, as the atoning sacrifice for sin (Jn. 3:16) and His relationship with Jesus in the gospels is a beautiful picture of a proper parent-child relationship.
Matchless in power, we read of God creating the heaven and the earth in the matter of fact opening statement of Genesis (1:1). What remains consistent throughout scripture is that God is all knowing (omniscient), all powerful (omnipotent), everywhere present (omnipresent), unchanging (immutable), holy and worthy of all glory, honour, worship and fear. It is the authority that He holds over all of the universe and the reverence that He demands that should make us tremble in awe of Him (Ps. 33:8). In the Old Testament we see the most direct interaction of the Father with mankind. This is followed by the gospels when the Messiah – our Lord Jesus Christ comes to earth to lay down His life (Phil. 2:5-9) and take it up again for us. Then in these last days it is the Holy Spirit who is sent as our comforter (Jn. 14:26), guide and indwelling presence (1 Cor. 6:19) that seals us until the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30).
Thoughts of God the Father sometimes can be ones of intimidation and this is where many may say that it seems that the God of the Old Testament is different than the God of the New Testament. This could be no further from the truth yet it requires an understanding of the different ways that God has manifested Himself to His creation and undoubtedly it is important to understand those He is dealing with in each circumstance. A study on the fear of the Lord would be beneficial to know that a healthy reverence of God is terribly important. As believers, David cries to us through the pages of Holy Scripture to serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling (Ps. 2:11) and the Psalms also teach that God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints and to be had in reverence of all them that are about Him (Ps. 89:7). Hebrews tells us that Moses exceedingly feared and quaked in God’s presence (Heb. 12:21) and Paul said that he persuaded men because he understood the terror of the Lord (2 Cor. 5:11). He is a Father that is not to be taken lightly by His children and He makes it very clear in His word that to not be His child and refuse His authority, goodness and mercy is damnation. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Heb. 10:31). God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies (Nah. 1:2).
Mental pictures are often formed of that voice that spoke the world into existence. This voice that called to Adam in the garden after he sinned and also spoke to Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and others in such powerful ways. There are the accounts of the burning bush, a trembling mountain consumed with smoke, a catastrophic flood, fire raining from the sky on Sodom, fiery serpents bringing judgment for sin or the ground opening up and swallowing those that opposed His authority. God makes it very clear that He is in control of all things and that no one is outside of His jurisdiction.
What must also be seen of the Father is His great love toward us and the beautiful relationships that He has had and continues to have with those that will acknowledge and trust in Him. Enoch walked with God, Abraham was the friend of God, David was a man after God’s own heart and God bragged on Job to Satan like a proud father when his son makes the winning shot. We read of the establishing of the family in Genesis, the great deliverance of His children from the bondage of Egypt in Exodus, God providing for His children in Numbers, teaching His children in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, fighting for His children in Joshua, showing longsuffering, chastisement and deliverance of His children in Judges, demonstrating His redemptive love in Ruth, preserving His people and maintaining a royal line through which He would send the Messiah, showing His sovereignty in Esther, and proclaiming His word mightily through the prophets. In the midst of it all He provided a beautiful songbook that speaks of His holiness, love and salvation plan in Psalms and the wisdom needed for every situation in life that is graciously preserved in Proverbs. One can not read through the Old Testament and not see the amazing love and grace of the Heavenly Father toward His children nor His desire that all would come to Him in faith. Psalm 96:2-3 is a charge to shew forth His salvation from day to day and to declare His glory among the heathen and His wonders among all people. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that they would turn from their evil ways and live (Ezek.33:11).
God spoke Himself as well as through the fathers, priests, kings and prophets in the Old Testament. Then it tells us in Hebrews 1:1-2 that in these last days He hath spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds. Here we see the deity of Jesus Christ and the transition into the new covenant.
There is no change in God from the Old to the New Testament. Throughout the Bible and throughout eternity God is loving, holy, just and merciful. To God be the glory!
Jer 9:23 Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
Jer 9:24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.
The Consistency of God throughout the Bible