My God is strong enough that He doesn’t need me to throw a temper fit, burn down buildings, and kill people every time someone insults Him.
My God is just enough to keep justice in His own hands, rather than in mine, when someone insults Him, because I might mistakenly act against someone who is innocent.
My God is merciful enough to be patient even with those who insult Him, because sometimes those people foolish enough to do that have repented.
My God is wise enough to know that, if His people engaged in violence to uphold His honour, it would dishonour Him, making Him appear too weak to avenge Himself and too unjust to care about innocent victims.
***
Violence “on behalf of a god” is nothing new. When Gideon destroyed an idol, the followers of Baal wanted to kill him. Joash, Gideon’s father, was ready for them:
Judges 6:31
And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar.
Because our God is really God, we don’t need to “plead” for Him, to engage in violence on His behalf. Christians don’t need to burn embassies and kill people just because some evil Muslim imam burned a Bible, or threatened to urinate on the Scriptures. Our God is quite able to deal with that wicked man.
But if your god isn’t that strong, isn’t that just, isn’t that merciful and good, isn’t that wise, why then, you have to take matters into your own hands, I guess. But you just make it look like you don’t really believe he can handle it himself. You make yourself look like foolish, angry, unjust people, and you make your god look feeble, if he really needs you to behave in that way.
Romans 12:19
Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
If vengeance belongs to God, and we take vengeance, we are stealing something that belongs to Him. When we do that, we only bring His vengeance on ourselves. Something to think about next time you plan on killing an ambassador.
Mind Renewers 
Good article Jon.
You know it’s interesting to note the inconsitency with a certain religion that would carry out such acts, this religion recognises not only Mohammed and Moses as a prophet from God but also Jesus. Now, when Mohammed is depicted in lets say a cartoon, they get angry calling it blasphemy, yet when blasphemous newspaper articles are written claiming Jesus was married to undermine Scripture they acknowledge is from God, the sound of silence from that same religion is deafening.
Hi, Dale. You are right, of course. The Koran tells Muslims it is ok to be deceptive for the advance of their religion, so hypocrisy or inconsistency isn’t really an issue in a lot of ways. If they think it helps Islam to behave hypocritically, they are being true to their religion to do so. You can get your mind twisted all around when you start thinking this way, but that’s one of the things false views of God always do — twist your thoughts into a horrible mess.
The sad thing is that they don’t even realise that they are making their religion look weak and silly. Eyes are blinded by the god of this world.
Thanks, Jon. Some great statements you made about our God and comparing it to a god. I like how you have right words, and put a Bible example along with it to help
make things make sense for my simple mind. :o)
Hi, Robin. Simple mind, huh? Quit talking down my friend’s wife, I think she’s pretty sharp, actually. 🙂
It’s amazing how often there is either a parallel example or direct teaching in Scripture that fits so well with things going on in the world around us. It’s almost as if the Author of history is also the Author of the Book. (You know what, I like that so much I’m going to quote myself and put it on the front page. :))