The Old Testament God

Misinformed Christians see the Son and the Holy Spirit as standing between us and the Father, protecting us from His 'dark side'.  

'Dark' Character Traits attributed to God in the Old Testament include:  

    Anger, Fierce wrath, Fury: Exodus 32:10, Psalm 88:16, 1 Samuel 28:18 2, Chronicles 29:10  

    Cursing: Leviticus 26:15 ff  

    Scorn, derision: Psalm 2:4, Psalm 59:8, Ezekiel 23:32  

    Jealousy: Exodus 20:5, Ezekiel 23:25  

    Revenge: Deuteronomy 32:35  

    Authoring a Justice System weighted towards males: Numbers 5 11- 31  

    Returning evil for evil, able to be provoked: Deuteronomy 32:21  

    Non-specific and disproportionate retribution: Leviticus 26:18 & 27-28, Exodus 20:5 2, Samuel 24:10  

    Including on children: Psalm 137:9,.Isaiah 13:16-18, Joshua 6 20, 21  

    Genocide: Deuteronomy 2:34  

    Hatred, revulsion: Psalm 78:59 Psalm 106:40  

    Humiliating and shaming: Jeremiah 13:25-26 Jeremiah 23:39-40  

    Utilising violence: Deuteronomy 32:42  

    Cruelty: Job 30:21, Isaiah 19:4, Isaiah 13:9, Jeremiah 30:14  

    Dealing in terror and death: Leviticus 26:16, Deuteronomy 32:25.  

The attribution of such traits to the Christian God is a heresy that has plagued the Church since its inception. These traits have nothing whatsoever to do with any of the persons of the Trinity, - Father, Son, or Holy Spirit.  

The Character of the Father is not at odds with the revealed nature of the Son.  

Jesus said to him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet you don't know me, Philip? he who has seen me has seen the Father John 14:9 I and my Father are one. John 10:30  

The 'Old Testament God - the entity distilled from a 'sound exegesis' of the Old Testament - (A good Biblical Hermaneutic) is not an accurate depiction of either the Father or the Trinity.  

No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him. John 1:18  

Separated from God by sin until Christ, the Authors of the Old Testament had a flawed revelation of the true essence of God.  

God is infinite Love and Goodness. These men were describing the realm of Angels between God and Humanity. Due to the infection of sin, this mediating realm partially and inadequately communicated the true nature of God.  

Separated from God by Sin until Christ, the heroes of the Old Testament were interacting with the realm of Angels between God and Humanity. Given the realm of Angels was not pure, neither was the interface.  

And until purged from heaven by the work of Christ, the angelic realm actually included Satan!  

Christ came to redeem us from this mediating realm, described by Valentinian Gnostics as 'the fallen Sophia'.

If you are a fundamentalist Christian who has in the past accepted the Old Testament list of the attributes of God as constituting part of the Character of God, there would have been some aspects of those attributes you may have felt decidedly uncomfortable with. 

You may well have suppressed your awareness of certain aspects.  

The time for suppression is past – do what you need to do.

There is no other God behind Jesus Christ.

Here is a thought experiment, that may make it decidedly more difficult to avoid the stark realities of the issue.

mene mene tekel uparsin - "the writing is on the wall"