Book excerpt: Is God loving? The Bible says that God is love; however, it also portrays a God that floods the earth, takes the lives of the firstborn in Egypt, and lashes out time and again in His fury. How can a God of love be synonymous with the God of fury displayed in the Old Testament? Are we fools? “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowled≥ fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Pro 1:7). Twice in the Proverbs we’re told that the beginning of knowledge and wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Is it possible that we have become altogether ignorant simply because we’ve tossed out the Bible’s basic teaching on God’s fury? The Fury of God penetrates the paradox and shows that we cannot truly understand God’s love until we fully understand His fury. If believers today are truly abiding in God’s Word, they will come face-to-face with the fury of God, and its truth will bring satisfaction to their souls. God’s people must know the truth. They longingly desire it. The truth is that our God is a consuming fire. He is a jealous God. He is a holy God. He is an unchanging God. He is a triune God. Our God is a God of fury. It is that God, the God of the Scriptures, whom I hope to resurrect in the hearts and minds of His people with this book.