Biblical Evidence- The Unpleasant Side of God's Nature

I'm back, like I said, to share what I've found about God's unpleasant side. Most people like to picture God the way they would like Him to be, a big gracious teddy bear, a gentle giant who wouldn't harm a flea and loves everyone. God is anything but. He is gracious, but when and how He chooses. He is wrathful, and powerful- a potent combo. God is perfect, but not in a way that our human minds can grasp. He is consistently proving that our idea of perfection is opposite His. Our perceptions of leadership, humility, grace and love are opposite what He would demand: we think leadership is being in charge, but leadership is being a servant. We think love is a feeling, and we receive it in the same way we give it, but love is an action - unconditional and often not understood or reciprocated.

Isaiah 55:8
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD.

I never understood what "the fear of the Lord" meant until I realize how fearsome He can be. He certainly deserves every ounce of fear and respect we can give.

I will present all my evidence purely by scripture. I will not comment because I want you to read it the way it's presented, not just how I view it. I also encourage you to look these things up yourself, to see them in their context. All scripture is taken from the New King James Version.

God hardened Pharaoh's heart.

Exodus 7:3-5

And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.

Romans 9:17-18

"For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth." Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.

God prevented Balaam from cursing Israel. We don't control our actions, God does.

Numbers 24:10-13

Then Balak’s anger was aroused against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have bountifully blessed them these three times! Now therefore, flee to your place. I said I would greatly honor you, but in fact, the LORD has kept you back from honor.” So Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not also speak to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying, ‘If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the LORD, to do good or bad of my own will. What the LORD says, that I must speak’?

Proverbs 16:1, 9

The preparations of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD... A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.

Jeremiah 10:23

O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.

God hardened the hearts of opposing kings, so that the Israelites would conquer the promised land.

Joshua 11:18-20

Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. All the others they took in battle. For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that He might utterly destroy them, and that they might receive no mercy, but that He might destroy them, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

God would not forgive the Israelites.

Joshua 24:19
But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the LORD, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.

(Here, I would quote verses from Romans 9, 10 and 11, but they only make sense within the context. If you have the time, peruse those chapters. They speak of Israel's rejection of God, and His rejection of Israel. He will not save all the Jews, but those whom He elected. It goes back to the covenant God made with Abraham, that all nations through him would be blessed. God promised to save Gentiles and Jews alike. There is an illustration of dead branches being cut off of a tree--Israel--and new branches being grafted on. This becomes a lecture in itself so I will leave it to you to look it up if you so desire.)


A distressing spirit from the Lord troubled Saul.

1 Samuel 16:14-15
But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him. And Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you..."

Shimei was commanded by the Lord to curse King David.

2 Samuel 16:5-13
Now when King David came to Bahurim, there was a man from the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei the son of Gera, coming from there. He came out, cursing continuously as he came. And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David. And all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. Also Shimei said thus when he cursed: “Come out! Come out! You bloodthirsty man, you rogue! The LORD has brought upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a bloodthirsty man!” Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please, let me go over and take off his head!” But the king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, because the LORD has said to him, ‘Curse David.’ Who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” And David said to Abishai and all his servants, “See how my son who came from my own body seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite? Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the LORD has ordered him. It may be that the LORD will look on my affliction, and that the LORD will repay me with good for his cursing this day.” And as David and his men went along the road, Shimei went along the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, threw stones at him and kicked up dust.

God put a lying spirit into the mouths of the prophets.

1 Kings 22:19-23
Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left. And the LORD said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ The LORD said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the LORD said, ‘You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.’ Therefore look! The LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has declared disaster against you.'

God creates certain men for the day of judgment.

Proverbs 15:11
Hell and Destruction are before the LORD; So how much more the hearts of the sons of men.

Proverbs 16:4
The LORD has made all for Himself, Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom.

Romans 9:22
What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,...

God creates calamity.

Isaiah 45:7
I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things.'

Lamentations 3:37-38
Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, When the Lord has not commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that woe and well-being proceed?

God refined Israel for His glory.

Isaiah 48:9-11
For My name’s sake I will defer My anger, And for My praise I will restrain it from you, So that I do not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it; For how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another.

God does not love everyone- God hated Esau.

Malachi 1:2-3
"I have loved you," says the LORD. "Yet you say, 'In what way have You loved us?' Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?" Says the LORD. "Yet Jacob I have loved; But Esau I have hated, And laid waste his mountains and his heritage for the jackals of the wilderness."

Romans 9:10-13
And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.”As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”

God prevented people from understanding, He would not save not save them.

John 12:37-41
But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?" Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them." These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.

Romans 11:7

What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.