The Wrath of Divine Love

Lesson 5

The Wrath of Divine Love

(Deuteronomy 28, Romans 1, Psalms 78, Jonah 4)

Copr. 2025, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

Introduction: Do you like the idea of a God who shows wrath? I imagine that you love the idea for certain people, but never for yourself. When my mother became old, she retained a healthy body but her mind deteriorated terribly. While she was in decline, a vitamin company called her and sold her so many vitamins she could never take them all. Should someone who takes advantage of the elderly be subject to wrath? What about those who target the elderly for physical violence? If you love others, then you love justice. Let’s plunge into our study of the Bible and learn about God’s wrath based on love!

1. Automated Wrath?
   
   1. Read Deuteronomy 28:1-6. On what are these blessings conditioned? (Obedience to God.)
      1. How do you think this works? Does God measure your obedience and then give you a blessings in that same measure? (I think this is automatic. God created the commandments in large part to make our lives better. When we follow God’s rules for better living, then we in fact live better.)
   2. Read Deuteronomy 28:15-19. This states the opposite of the blessings in Deuteronomy 28:1-6. How do these curses work? Does God look down, see that you are disobedient, and then curse you? Harm you?
   3. Read Deuteronomy 28:20. This says specifically that God will “send” “curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do.” Does this suggest that the penalties are not “automatic” as I suggested? (Notice the last part of verse 20, where it says, “because you have forsaken Me.” This suggests that we invite these problems.)
   4. Read Romans 1:18. What do you think is the reason why God’s wrath is “revealed” as opposed to executed, or some other action word? (Revealed suggests that this is something that we can see for ourselves. It is a kind of “this is how things work” revelation.)
   5. Read Romans 1:19-23. God’s wrath is revealed in what response of humans? (They become fools. Their thinking is confused. That caused them to do stupid things like worshiping animals.)
      1. Is this an automatic version of God’s wrath? (The IVP New Testament Commentary reports that some say, as I have suggested, this is simply a “cause-and-effect process. But then it rejects the “automatic” view on the basis that God’s wrath is so comprehensive that is disallows this interpretation. I believe the IVP Commentary is looking at the sins listed in Romans 1:28-31.)
   6. Read Romans 1:24-25. Does this sound like God is executing His wrath on these sinners? (Romans says that God “gave them up.” They visited God’s wrath on themselves.)
   7. Psalms 78 is a recount of the experience of God’s people in the exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land. Read Psalms 78:18-22. What has triggered God’s wrath? (The people doubted that God could provide for them, and they demanded that God give them meat to eat.)
   8. Read Psalms 78:23-31. Does this sound like an automated penalty? Could they have suffered from not being used to eating meat?
   1. Read Numbers 21:5-6. The people have the same complaint about the food, and this time snakes attack them. Does this seem an automatic response? (No. While dying from eating the meat might be arguable, these verses tell us that God “sent” the snakes. Being bitten by a snake is not the logical result of complaining about your food.)
      1. What do these texts teach us about the wrath of God? (Some of it is the natural consequence of disobedience to the rules of life. However, God can and has acted on His anger and punished the rebellious.)
   10. Let’s step back and contemplate the overall message of the verses we have studied. Does God love His people? (Yes! He gave His commandments so our lives will be better. He wants us to live well.)

2. Noah’s Wrath
   
   1. Read 2 Kings 14:23-25. This is our introduction to the prophet Jonah. How popular do you think Jonah was among God’s people? (Jonah predicted the victories that restored the border of Israel! He must have been a national hero.)
      1. Was the king with whom Jonah worked a good man? (No. He did evil in God’s eyes.)
   2. Read Jonah 1:1-2. Do you think that Jonah would appreciate this assignment? (Jonah was a hero for predicting the victories of his people. He is not used to being a prophet to pagans, and he might have feared going to Nineveh.)
   3. Read Jonah 1:3. Jonah tried to run away from God’s command that Jonah work with God regarding the people of Nineveh. Do you know what kind of people lived in Nineveh? (Nineveh was the capital of Assyria. They were terrible people. They killed their enemies in horrible ways.)
   4. We are going to summarize the main part of the story. God gets Jonah back on track, Jonah warns the people of Nineveh of impending doom, and they repent. Read Jonah 3:10. Would you say that this is a great outcome for Jonah’s mission?
   5. Read Jonah 4:1-2. Why is Jonah angry that God has turned His wrath from those who lived in Nineveh? (The Ninevites were enemies of Israel and Jonah wanted them to be destroyed. Jonah is like us. He loves it when “justice” is done to defeat the enemies of his people, but he is not happy when God shows mercy to bad people.)
   6. Read Jonah 4:3. Why would Jonah be that angry? (Jonah is used to being a true prophet. When the enemies of God’s people were correctly predicted by Jonah to be destroyed he was celebrated. He now has what appears to be a failed prophecy against bad people.)
   7. Read Jonah 4:4. Is God surprised by Jonah’s reaction?
   8. Read Jonah 4:5-6. Is Jonah still expecting the destruction of the Ninevites?
      1. Do you think this wonderful plant that provided shade had an impact on Jonah’s thinking about the Ninevites. (I expect Jonah thought this was just a little favor from God showing that God was still going to make him a true prophet. Today we would call it a “God wink.”)
   1. Read Jonah 4:7-9. What now has made Jonah angry? (His shade plant has died.)
      1. Does Jonah seem mentally unbalanced?
   10. Read Jonah 4:10-11. What does this teach us about God’s love and justice as opposed to human love and justice?
       1. What is the specific character flaw of Jonah? (He is selfish. He wants God to show love for him and his plant. He wants God to show wrath, not love, to the Ninevites.)
       2. Does God love animals?
       3. What does God mean when He makes reference to those “who do not know their right had from their left?” (I think this refers to small children. It could mean those who do not understand moral principles.)
   11. Let’s step back and think about Jonah’s story. Was God willing to destroy Nineveh?
       1. Would that have been an “automatic” punishment? (No. God would execute judgment. We know this for sure because God decided against destruction.)
          
          1. Would that have been just? (Yes, they were a terrible people.)
          2. Would the destruction of the Assyrian capital have shown love to others? (God would have reduced the terror they brought to others.)
       2. Would God have been willing to destroy the children if Nineveh had not repented? (Our wicked actions can do great harm to others, including our children.)
3. A Strange Thing
   
   1. Read Lamentations 3:31-33. What is God’s attitude towards destruction? (It is not “from His heart.” He does not have pleasure in it. Ezekiel 33:11.)
   2. Read Isaiah 28:21-22. What is God’s “strange” deed? (Destruction. God destroys only when people do not repent. It is His desire that all should turn to Him.)
   3. Friend, we know that sin and sinners must come to an end. It would not be love to allow the world to continue as it is. We need to accept that destruction will come to us if we do not accept Jesus’ free gift of eternal life. Will you turn to Jesus and accept His gift right now?
4. Next week: God’s Love of Justice.