Visions of an Angry God

Psalm 2:1
Why are the nations so angry?

... Wars are continually waged throughout history by nations. Why?

Psalm 2:3 (NLT)
"Let us break their chains," they cry, "and free ourselves from slavery to God."

... Ultimately it seems that war is really a rejection of God's supremacy and authority.

Psalm 2:12 (NLT)
Submit to God's royal son, or he will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities- for his anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him!

... I can't help but think that in the OT, references to an angry God who suddenly strikes out to destroy the "bad nations," shows our human frailties and our need to be kept in line through fear, more than revealing the true nature of God - especially as revealed in Jesus Christ.

... Perhaps the most significant aspect of how Jesus affects our view of scripture is the way he challenges and overturns these visions of an angry God.

-- gmc --