Do we Underestimate the Violent Capacity of God?

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...

Genesis 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way,...

Genesis 6: 13 And God said unto Noah, ... vs. 17 ...and, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die...


There are several things to consider from these accounts of the first beginning of life on earth...for of course, Noah and his family would repopulate the earth, along with the animals they saved in the ark, after that destruction God foretold was accomplished.

First off, we are created in the image of God. When that is told to us, have you ever stopped to consider whether it meant physically, mentally, emotionally, or are our echoes of the nature of God a combination of two or even all three of those attributes?

Mankind has developed a well-earned and oft-demonstrated capacity for violence, warfare, and bloodshed. Many would say that is the antithesis of God, yet I find it illuminating that before man ever demonstrated violence...yes, even before Cain slew Abel...God put in place a cherubim carrying a sword.

It seems not unreasonable then to extrapolate that swords were the creation not of man's desire to kill each other but pre-existed his awareness of and capacity for violence.

An interesting thought that bears a great deal of research and consideration. Of course, the research portion is considerably hampered by the fact that all we have to go on is the Bible, and it has little to say about the subject. We must beware of drawing too many conclusions from a matter mentioned in passing.

Yet when the earth grew corrupt, God demonstrated other attributes. First, regret. Second, revulsion for the ways of man. Third, a tremendous capacity for near-total elimination of life.

It was not just man but plants, animals, fish, birds...all would be eliminated in a wave of violence. Indeed, chapters seven and eight of Genesis deal with the devastation of the earth and the few who were saved from it.

We are falsely taught that "God is love" with the implicit understanding that the actual, complete and total comment is "God is love ONLY" when in truth God shows a tremendous capacity to hate that which is evil.

We are told in the New Testament that the Law and, one might suppose, the Old Testament, is a tutor to lead us to Christ.

This is relevant because it would behoove society today to realize that God is, by His own admission, a jealous God. The terror implicit in Hebrews 10:26-31 for those who would reject God has been tempered by a society trained to picture God as meek, simpering, loving without remorse, regret, or reservations when in truth, He is a God who, when disobeyed, stores up mighty vengeance the like of which the world has not seen and can scarce comprehend.

Yes, there is a loving side of God. John 3:16 explicitly states the depth of His love. But it is a love that requires response, not willful and proud disobedience.

It is sad that people would simplify God below the complexity of human beings. Man is capable of hating and loving, of many complex interactions in between. We would do well to realize we are a reflection of God, and take into account that He may carry those emotions with far greater impact.