Justice and Mercy in Mixture: God’s Accommodation in the Old Testament
One of the most persistent objections to the Old Testament is that God appears to endorse human sinfulness by allowing institutions such as slavery, polygamy, divorce, and kingship. Yet the biblical record reveals something different: God’s dealings with humanity consistently hold justice and mercy together. He never abandons His holiness, but He restrains judgment to preserve humanity for redemption. What skeptics call “endorsement” is, in fact, accommodation—God’s merciful restraint of sin’s consequences (Wright, The Mission of God, 2006, p. 268).
The Fall: Judgment and Promise
In Eden, God rendered justice by expelling Adam and Eve from His presence (Gen. 3:22–24). Death entered the world, labor and pain marked human existence, and creation itself was subjected to futility (Rom. 8:20). Yet mercy appeared even in judgment: God clothed Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:21), preserved their lives, and promised that the “seed of the woman” would crush the serpent (Gen. 3:15). As John Walton notes, “the curses of Genesis 3 are not absolute destruction, but modified continuance” (Walton, The Lost World of Adam and Eve, 2015, p. 88).
The Flood: Destruction and Preservation
When “every intention of the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5), justice demanded comprehensive judgment. The Flood brought near-total destruction (Gen. 7:23). Yet mercy preserved Noah and his family, establishing a covenant of stability for the world (Gen. 9:8–17). Gordon Wenham observes that the Flood narrative highlights both “the severity of divine judgment and the persistence of divine mercy” (Wenham, Genesis 1–15, WBC, 1987, p. 173). God’s bow in the clouds symbolized His merciful decision never again to destroy all flesh in this way.
Israel: Exile and Remnant
Israel’s history epitomizes this balance of justice and mercy. The covenant curses fell when they pursued idolatry and injustice (Lev. 26; Deut. 28). Judgment came in exile—first Israel to Assyria (2 Kgs. 17:18–23), then Judah to Babylon (2 Kgs. 25:1–21). Yet mercy preserved a faithful remnant (Isa. 10:20–21; Amos 9:8), and restoration followed in the return from exile (Ezra 1:1–4). As Christopher Wright notes, “God’s judgment is never His last word for Israel; mercy and restoration remain integral to His covenant faithfulness” (Wright, Old Testament Ethics for the People of God, 2004, p. 127).
Accommodation as Mercy
The same principle explains God’s toleration of sinful institutions. Instead of immediate annihilation, God restrained and regulated them:
Slavery was bounded by laws of release and humane treatment (Exod. 21:1–11; Deut. 15:12–15), what Paul Copan calls “a radically improved ethic in its ancient context” (Copan, Is God a Moral Monster?, 2011, p. 126).
Polygamy was tolerated though never ideal, with laws guarding against exploitation (Deut. 21:15–17). As Bruce Waltke notes, polygamy is always portrayed as “a deviation with destructive consequences” (Waltke, Genesis: A Commentary, 2001, p. 37).
Divorce was allowed “because of your hardness of heart” (Deut. 24:1–4; cf. Matt. 19:8), but Jesus clarified it was not God’s design (cf. Gen. 2:24).
Kingship was granted despite being a rejection of God’s rule (1 Sam. 8:7). Yet God guided it into His redemptive plan by raising up David, whose dynasty pointed to Christ (2 Sam. 7:12–16).
Each case reflects the same pattern: justice should have fallen fully, yet mercy restrained it through accommodation, leaving room for God’s promises to unfold.
Nation Judgments: Delayed and Executed
God’s justice and mercy also appear in His dealings with the nations:
Amorites: Judgment was delayed for four generations “until the iniquity… is complete” (Gen. 15:16), exemplifying God’s patience (Walton, Genesis, NIVAC, 2001, p. 421).
Amalekites: Their persistent hostility led to eventual destruction (1 Sam. 15:2–3), an example of cumulative guilt leading to judgment (Wright, The God I Don’t Understand, 2008, p. 80).
Canaanites: Their moral corruption caused the land itself to “vomit them out” (Lev. 18:24–25). As Richard Hess notes, the conquest is judicial, not ethnic—punishing sin, not race (Hess, Joshua: An Introduction and Commentary, TOTC, 1996, p. 114).
Israel and Judah: Though chosen, they were judged like the nations. Exile proved God’s justice, yet their survival proved His mercy (Jer. 30:11).
Empires: Assyria (Nah. 3:1–7), Babylon (Isa. 13:19–22), and Egypt (Ezek. 29:3–7) were judged for pride and idolatry, showing God’s impartiality (Wenham, Story as Torah, 2000, p. 84).
The End of Accommodation
It is crucial to see that accommodation is temporary. God’s tolerance of sinful institutions and His restraint of judgment were never permanent solutions. They pointed forward to Christ, in whom mercy was fulfilled and judgment satisfied (Rom. 3:25–26; Heb. 9:26–28). The cross displays the ultimate convergence: justice fully executed in Christ’s death, and mercy fully extended in His resurrection.
At the Final Judgment, however, accommodation will cease. God “has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He has appointed” (Acts 17:31). On that day, mercy will be perfected in salvation for those in Christ, while justice will fall without restraint on all unrepentant sin (Rev. 20:11–15). The time of divine patience (2 Pet. 3:9) will give way to the final reckoning.
Conclusion
What skeptics misinterpret as divine endorsement of sin is actually the tension of justice and mercy. Without mercy, humanity would have perished at the Fall or the Flood. Without justice, God would not be holy. Together, justice and mercy preserve creation, regulate sin, and carry history toward redemption in Christ. Yet this pattern is temporary—accommodation ends and mercy is fulfilled in Christ at the Final Judgment, when God’s holiness will be perfectly and eternally revealed.