God's Wrath Chases Mankind Into His Love

by  Zack Hensley

The Old Testament of the Bible is filled with seemingly conflicting depictions of God’s character. We see two major themes, a God of wrath, and a God of love. He is pictured as being filled with such jealous rage, that he wipes out entire people groups and cities, but also is shown as being patient and filled with an overwhelming love. Wrath and love, two separate concepts in our mind but in God’s they delineate the same thing., [1]“The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love, and great in power; But the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.” God’s wrath is an escort into his love. Jeremiah talks about this in [2]“Because of the Lord’s unfailing love we are not consumed…Men are not cast off by God forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.” The purpose of God’s heart is to discipline us in ways that usher us into love. In order to come to this conclusion, let’s first look at the two characteristics individually.

            God is a God of wrath. God’s wrath is never unmerited. From Adam to the Babylonians, he never expresses his anger without first it being aroused by sin. We see his anger at it’s height during the flood. [3]Man’s wickedness and sin so great that God finds only one man (Noah) righteous. In his anger he destroys all of creation with a great flood, spares Noah, and his family. Later in Genesis, [4]God’s wrath is poured out on Sodom and Gomorrah. Their wickedness was so great that God could not even find ten righteous in those cities. Therefore God decimated that place with his fire, and spared only Lot and his family. God’s attitude towards sin is wrath, because he is jealous for man kind to worship him alone. Those found righteous he spares. His wrath was poured out on Israel and they were exiled to Babylon because they refused to turn their hearts. Yet Daniel was found righteous and was [5]exalted even under Babylonian rule. God’s anger is fierce, it is terrifying, yet it is the tsunami that chases us into his heart.

            “Because of the Lord’s unfailing love we are not consumed.” God ultimately is a God of Love. Throughout the OT one of the main characteristics attributed God is this statement, “The Lord is gracious, and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.” In the Psalms where the before [6]verse was mentioned, David says this of God, “He does not treat us as our sins deserve, or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him” It is God’s love for his people, that makes him jealous for their affections. His love is “a flame of fire” that burns deep within him. [7]Solomon tells us that this fire is unquenchable. He loves his people. We see this in his patience towards Moses and the Israelites in the desert, Also it can be found in the story of Hosea where he confesses his love for his people amidst their blatant harlotry. God’s love for his people is great, it is steadfast, yet “he will not leave the guilty unpunished”.

            So we have a God of wrath, whose [8]righteous indignation could devour all of creation and be well merited for it. Then we have a God of Love, who burns with passion for his people. The question is how do we reconcile the two pictures of God’s character? Well let us look at the story of Jonah. [9]Jonah, a passively obedient prophet, gets the word from God that he is fiercely angry with a gentile city called Nineveh because of their wickedness. Jonah (After God practically drags him to Nineveh kicking and screaming.) declares to them that God is coming to overturn their city because of their great wickedness. They turn their hearts to God with fasting and prayer. God sees their repentance and spares their city. In this story we see God’s Sodom-like anger, quenched by his love for men when they turn from sin. These two emotions of God’s heart are reconciled in this way: It’s all unto love. If God did not love his people, he would not have anger toward sin. But God’s love is so fierce, so steadfast that he can not passively watch men give themselves to sin. So he brings the promise of his wrath upon mankind, but shows compassion if they turn from the sin that has overtaken them.  Whilst shows destruction if they do not.

            God is a god of wrath, but only because he is a God of Love. His wrath is the escort into his love. His wrath and fury chases mankind down, to where they have only two options, be overtaken and perish like those in Sodom, or turn from their sin and run toward his heart like those in Nineveh. He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, but as it was revealed to Nahum, he will not leave the guilty unpunished.              

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