Question: Various crusading atheists portray God in the Old Testament as angry, hostile and thoroughly unpleasant. Is this what the Bible says about Him?
It is important to observe how God is described in the Bible because the misunderstandings about God and judgment appear again and again in the works of today’s crusading atheists. The truth is exactly the opposite to what is often declared.
See the following description of God in the Old Testament:
“The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. ” (Ex 34:6).
God who is compassionate is also referred to in: Ex 22:27 Ex 34:6, 2Ch 30:9, Neh 9:17, Ps 86:15, Ps 103:8, Ps 111:4, Ps 145:8, Joel 2:13, Jonah 4:2
God who is gracious is also referred to in: 2Ch 30: 9, Neh 9:17,31, Ps 86:15, 103:8, 111:4, 116:5, 145:8, Joel 2:13, Jonah 4:2, with many other references to His gracious acts.
God who is slow to anger is also referred to in: Num 14:18, Neh 9:17, Psa 86:15, 103:8, 145:8, Joel 2:13, Jonah 4:2, Nah 1:3
God who is abounding in love is referred to in: Num 14:18, Neh 9:17, Psa 86:5,15, 103:8, Joel 2:13, Jonah 4:2 with multitudinous other references to God’s love.
Now the point is that these descriptions are repeated by many different writers in the Old Testament, and yes the above words often go together and are often repeats of the original, but they go to show that the writers at least had this opinion of God. The above references are strictly those with those exact phrases but the sense of each is repeated many, many more times right the way throughout the Old Testament.
The writers would not use these descriptions if they felt otherwise about God.
