Elize About Faith

Recently, I intentionally started spending more time in the Old Testament to better understand God’s commandments and His Word. What I wasn’t prepared for was the brokenness – fear, violence, idolatry, manipulation, impatience – moments especially throughout Genesis and Exodus. These stories are not softened or sanitised – they are very real and true. They reveal a world and a human condition already fractured by sin, a condition that still remains unchanged to this day.

Genesis and Exodus are not pretty. People lie, abuse power, fear God one moment and reject Him the next (Exodus 32:1–9). What’s most revealing isn’t just that these things happened but that God continued to still work through these people. Scripture certainly does not clean up humanity, it still tells us the truth about who and what we are. Truths that many believers choose to ignore.

Many may ask why God still allows this brokenness to remain on the pages of Scripture? Because if the Bible only presented polished heroes and pleasant stories, it would be useless to us now, many generations later. Instead, it shows us that God works through imperfect people to accomplish His perfect will (Judges 2:18; Psalm 103:8–10). If Scripture only showed us polished obedience and instant faith, it would quietly suggest that God only works with people who have it all together. But the real story says the opposite: God works through fear, failure, doubt, and even outright rebellion. Not because those things are good but because His grace is greater.

The Old Testament still serves us today. It tells the truth about the human condition, one that has not changed with time. It shows the consequences of sin (Deuteronomy 28). But more importantly, through every failure and fracture, it reveals and reminds us of God’s faithfulness, patience, and desire to walk with His children (Exodus 34:6–7).

God’s Patience in the Midst of Rebellion

In the Old Testament, God’s patience is clearly revealed in His relationship with Israel. Time and again, the people complain, doubt, and disobey. They witness miracles, receive deliverance, and enter into covenant with God, only to turn away when fear or discomfort arises. Their faith is inconsistent and often shallow, yet God does not abandon them.

Instead of responding with immediate judgment, God responds with mercy. He disciplines, yes, but He also forgives, restores, and continues to lead. God remains committed to His people even when they are committed to their own rebellion. He teaches them, corrects them, and calls them back to Himself, over and over again.

Moses himself is a powerful example of this patience. He killed an Egyptian in anger (Exodus 2:11–12), fled in fear, and later doubted his own ability to speak for God. Yet God did not discard him. Instead, He redeemed Moses’ past and entrusted him with leading Israel out of Egypt and toward the Promised Land (Exodus 3:10).

Brokenness is never the point. Redemption and walking with God is. The Old Testament boldly reminds us that this has always been the story – humanity fails, and God remains God. God’s patience turns failure into preparation.He consistently transforms brokeness and failure into opportunities for redemption.

In a broken world, “pretty” stories in the Bible would be dishonest and unhelpful. God’s Word is painfully honest, and through that honesty we are guided, corrected, and shaped. This is why it continues to speak so powerfully today. Scripture often holds up a mirror to our own brokenness and shows us how God can use it for a greater purpose (Romans 8:28).

Perhaps you are walking through a dark or difficult season yourself, wondering why certain things are happening in your life. If Scripture teaches us anything, it is that brokenness is not the end of the story. It is the start of something greater – God is still at work in you. And He is always faithful (Lamentations 3:31–33; Philippians 1:6).