Is God cruel? Exodus 31-32.

"The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully." - Richard Dawkins

OK, I posted that to stimulate discussion - not because I believe it. But I have to confess I am having a lot of trouble with these last few daily readings from Exodus. There are lots of dire threats of death and lots of slaughter taking place and it is coming directly from God. In today's reading - Exodus 32 - Moses has climbed Mount Sinai to get the Ten Commandments. The Israelites are bored and doubting, so they create a golden calf god. God immediately wants to kill them all, but Moses intervenes begging God to reconsider, and He relents. Moses returns down the mountain, chastises his people for their idolatry and then God commands him: “Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.” And, about 3,000 people died. What's up with that?

I have searched for an answer and have come across several offerings. Some say that God's wrath was needed to prevent further and more serious affronts to His authority. Some say that we should be more amazed by God's mercy since He does not simply strike us dead immediately when we transgress (as most of us do every day!). Unfortunately, in a fallen, evil world (unlike the one that God created), there are seldom any really happy alternatives. I am sure that what God eventually condoned here as necessary is certainly not what He originally envisioned as ideal.

My friend, Margaret, suggested that perhaps all the threats and slaughter were no more than early Bible authors trying to demonstrate God's power and ultimate authority through hyperbole and exaggeration.

What do you think. Personally, I could use some answers.

I am looking forward to tomorrow's reading from Exodus 34 wherein the Lord proclaims

“The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”