Zechariah 14:1 See, a day is coming for the LORD, when the plunder taken from you will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses looted and the women raped; half the city shall go into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle.

V.2 speaks of God mobilizing the enemies of Israel resulting in “houses looted and women raped”. Brutal. Then v.3 says God will turn and defeat the nations he just mobilized against Jerusalem. Our God is a God of love – but not only love. In this case, God is a God of violence and death. There is much less of this sort of thing in the New Testament so it’s interesting to note the change in God’s posture towards people after Jesus is born.

Heavenly Father we know you are more complex than we tend to believe. I don’t pretend to understand it all, but I trust that – in Jesus – you revealed the lengths you were willing to go – so we sinners could draw near to you. We thank you today and bless you in Jesus’ name. Amen.