Have you ever felt compelled to defend God for some of the things He says in His Word? After all, Christianity is very black and white on many issues we’d prefer were a tad more gray. From the world’s perspective, God isn’t very “tolerant.” He’s downright dogmatic. Not to sound harsh, but we could say, “It’s His way, or the highway.”

If we lean into cultural norms rather than biblical truth, God can seem demanding, at times negative, and indeed narrow-minded. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). In the sermon on the mount, He says in no uncertain terms, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

Secular culture has the wrong view of God. Yes, the gate is narrow… there is only one entry point into God’s kingdom, and that is Jesus. But once we step through that gate by placing our faith in Christ and trusting His finished work on the cross for our forgiveness and redemption, we enter the broad and glorious realm of eternal life. God’s boundaries, which we once thought kept us from experiencing good things, are now revealed as His protective shield from all that would harm us. 

Psalm 111 reminds me that God’s work—His plan of redemption—is infinitely good. It’s narrow because it’s true. And because it is God’s plan and God’s work and God’s way, it is more than we can imagine.

Great are the works of the Lord; they are studied by all who delight in them (v. 2).

Splendid and majestic is His work…it endures forever (v. 3).

His works (His wonders) are made to be remembered (v. 4).

His works are powerful (v. 6).

The works of His hands are truth and justice (v. 7).

This psalm also reveals God’s nature and character. The Lord is gracious and compassionate (v. 4). What is more compassionate than sending your own Son to be a sinless sacrifice for the world’s sins? What is more gracious than promising forgiveness to the vilest sinner if he or she will but repent and receive it?

The work that God does…

The rules that God makes…

The demands that God imposes…

…all find their source in His gracious and compassionate nature.

Yesterday we studied Psalm 6 at church. We discussed David’s request for the Lord not to rebuke him in His anger or chasten him in his wrath. As I listened to the various comments, I pondered what wrath and anger really mean.

The Hebrew word for wrath is ḥēmâ, also translated as displeasure, rage, fury, or indignation. The Hebrew word for anger here in verse one is ‘ap̄, literally meaning the nose or the face. It indicates rapid breathing caused by passion or ire. Perhaps you’ve described someone as “snorting mad?!”

But what is anger and wrath? It is a passionate drive, an intensity fueled by a desire to right wrongs and address injustices. We feel wrath and anger on behalf of those we believe are mistreated. Or, we become angry for ourselves when we feel our rights have been violated or trampled.

But God’s wrath is different. God is holy. God is good. God is compassionate. God is righteous. His anger targets what is truly wrong—the sin that seeks to overpower and ruin His perfect creation. God is angry on our behalf. He hates our sin and wants to end it because He knows it will ultimately destroy us.

Only God can be “righteously angry.”

God’s righteous anger and wrath are among His works…His great, splendid, and majestic works…His powerful work that is able to destroy what is evil before it destroys us.

God’s work–even His wrath–is worth pondering…it is worth studying by all who delight in Him.

Is the way to eternal life narrow? Yes! But what a wondrous work God has done to show us the way! He has expended His wrath on His precious Son, Jesus, on our behalf, so that we might know Him as the gracious and compassionate God.

“He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; holy and awesome is His name” (Psalm 111:9).