Wrath and Mercy

“…you are not my people, and I am not your God. ‘Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,' they will be called 'children of the living God.'” – Hosea 1:9-10

Often God is depicted either as a God of love or a God of wrath. We tend to approach God under one of these two views. The truth is that these should always be held in tension. God is both. Whenever we abandon one for the other, we our day to day Christianity suffers. When we elevate the God of wrath over love, we begin to act out of fear and lose any sense of joy because we feel we aren’t good enough to please Him. Or we tend to think that we alone can please Him and condemn anyone who doesn’t live up to our standards. On the other hand, when we elevate the God of love over wrath, we tend to stop treating sin seriously. We lose the distinction between righteous living and unrighteous living.

In this passage God is very angry with his people, even to the point of disowning them for a time. The scariest thing that God can do to someone is simply leave them alone. When the Bible explicitly tells us that God is the source of all joy, life, and peace, the worst thing that God could do is simply let our will be done. Romans 1 pictures the wrath of God as God giving people over to their own ways. It’s amazing that God does this in stages, not all at once. God is not quick to judge, He is slow to anger. He pauses to give us time to repent. In the book of Ezekiel, when God’s glory leaves the temple, God leaves in stages. Almost like he is hesitant to go, but must.

With all people, there is a point at which God stops calling out to us and allows our hearts to be hardened. That’s why the author of Hebrews tells us to obey in the day that you hear God’s voice. We don’t know when might be our last chance to hear and repent. Jesus warned his disciples to be careful how we hear God’s word, if we don’t listen with a heart to obey, then our ability to even hear God’s word again might be taken away.

However, God’s judgment is always mixed with mercy. Even while abandoning his people, he promises a return. Judgment is not the end. God is not through with his people. He will be faithful to his covenant promises. He will bring back His people from exile and restore them. The apostle Paul uses this passage to describe the inclusion of the gentiles into the people of God through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The incredible thing about God’s judgment is that often God uses it as a door to new beginnings and new possibilities. He is a God of wrath and a God of mercy. These truths must be held in tension.