Is God compassionate or ferocious (Lamentations 3:22)?
This and many other verses in Scripture describe God as merciful and compassionate, slow to wrath, and plentiful in kindness (cf. Ps 103:8 ; James 5:11; 1 John 4:16). By contrast, numerous passages in the Bible reveal God as wrathful and vengeful. God told Moses, “You shall destroy all the peoples whom the Lord your God delivers over to you; your eye shall not pity them” (Deut. 7:16; cf. 1 Sam. 6:19; 15:2-3; Jer. 13:14; Heb. 12:29).
Lamentations 3:1 - 66
ESV - 1 I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath. 2 He has driven and brought me into darkness without any light.
Anonymous
For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Jack Gutknecht
Max Lucado then imagines this correspondence, straight from “The Pearly Gates Underwriting Division:”
"Dear Mr. Smith,
I’m writing in response to this morning’s request for forgiveness. I’m sorry to inform you that you have reached your quota of sins. Our records show that, since employing our services, you have erred seven times in the area of greed—and your prayer life is substandard when compared to others of like age and circumstance. Further review reveals that your understanding of doctrine is in the lower 20 percentile and you have excessive tendencies to gossip. Because of your sins you are a high-risk candidate for Heaven. You must understand that grace has its limits. Jesus sends His regrets and kindest regards and hopes that you will find some other form of coverage.
Sincerely,
Angel in charge of Fire Insurance
"We’ll never get a letter like that! As Jeremiah puts it, 'God’s compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.' The English word for 'new' in this verse is the Hebrew word 'hadas.' {חֲדָשִׁים֙} It would be translated, 'never before experienced.'" --dkoop