The O.T., the N.T., and Redemption part 1

When I think of the events that take place on this Easter weekend, I am drawn to the Old Testament and the Prophets.  The Old Testament seems to be neglected by Christians and hated by those who are not Christians.  It would seem that this is due in part to a display of some of God’s attributes that do not preach well or leave us with a feeling of warmth after having heard or read it.  Things like God’s hatred of sin, a need for a blood sacrifice, and the true state of a sinner’s heart are clearly laid out within the pages of the Old Testament.  The state of helplessness on the part of the sinner and the truth of God’s sovereignty are laid out in clear contrast to each other within the pages of the Old Testament.  Where is the love, where is the compassion, where is the warm feeling?  My eyes turn toward Isaiah 53 where it says,

¹ Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? ² For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. ³ He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. ⁴ Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. ⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. ⁷ He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. ⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? ⁹ And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. ¹⁰ Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. ¹¹ Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. ¹² Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53 (ESV)

Here is the love, that a Father would “delight to crush” His own Son.  Here is the love that the Son would willingly be crushed.  Here is the love, that He shed His blood as ours would be inadequate. Here is the fact, that it is we who do not love God, but it is God who loves us.  The very reason the cross was made necessary was not due to a failure on the part of God, but on the failure on the part of man.  So that created rebelled against creator.  It is creation that continues to rebel and God who continues to love.The Old Testament truly does show the love of God in relation to His creation as the above passage clearly indicates