When God brings destruction, it is just and thus worthy of praise. God's wrath, while burning intensely, does not burn long. His restorative actions follow quickly after His destructive anger. In the passages of Isaiah and elsewhere, God's punishment on Israel, particularly the northern tribes, is described as severe but brief. His recognition of human frailty impels Him to reinstate normalcy swiftly and hasten the healing process. In the letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul sums up God's nature in the merism of goodness and severity. These traits, though polar opposites, define God's character and His interface with mankind. He responds rigorously to sin because He understands its harm, and implicit in this duality is a stern warning not to abuse His mercy, lest we incur His severity. This dichotomy of punishment and restoration is evident as God shows mercy to some Gentiles by calling them into His church while temporarily rejecting His physical people Israel. History reveals that the threats of the severe God are not idle. He instructs His people to remember Shiloh, where He once made His name dwell, and to see what He did there because of their evil. He declares that He will do the same to the house called by His name, in which they trust, casting them out of His sight as He did to their kinsmen.

On the heels of destruction, the forces of restoration will follow swiftly. In the day when God brings down the high towers, He also sends running water, signifying a merciful beginning of healing almost concurrent with the destruction. This running water may symbolize the knowledge of God that will eventually cover the earth, bringing renewal to barren places. During the Day of the Lord, every stroke of His foundational rod will be delivered with purpose, accompanied by timbrels and lyres, blending destruction with rejoicing. These blows, aimed at the Babylonish system, will lay the groundwork for a better civilization by dismantling corrupt governments and perverse religious systems to make way for superior counterparts. God's staff of discipline, while destructive, is curative and creative, facilitating restoration and affirming His commitment to building a new and better world. This close association of destruction with restoration explains why correction in His Day is attended with rejoicing, as better things are promised to come soon.

God's severity is a profound aspect of His character, evident in the destruction He brings upon the pride and systems of mankind during the Day of the Lord. In Isaiah 30:25-26, His judgment is depicted through the fall of high towers and the intensification of the sun's heat sevenfold, symbolizing a fierce and consuming wrath. Yet, this severity is not without purpose, as it is closely followed by restorative actions, binding up the brokenness of His people and healing the wounds inflicted by His blow. His wrath, though intense, is brief, as seen in various passages where desertion is followed swiftly by great compassion. This measured discipline, likened to a foundational rod in Isaiah 30:32, lays the groundwork for a better civilization, facilitating restoration by removing the old to make way for the new. God's severity, emblemized as a consuming fire in Hebrews 12, warns against abusing His kindness, for those who rebel will experience His rigorous response to sin. In Romans 11, the simultaneous balance of His kindness and severity is clear—severity toward the fallen, yet kindness toward those who remain in faith, underscoring the necessity to live within His grace to avoid being cut off. As prophecies unfold, whether He expresses Himself in wrath or kindness, in destruction or in the renewing water of His Spirit, God's purpose remains steadfast: the outworking of His plan and His great compassion. His severity, though formidable, is always purposeful, preparing the way for restoration and reconciliation.

Near the end of his doctrinal exposition to the Christians in Rome, the apostle Paul writes about the severity of God alongside His goodness, using a merism to convey the totality of His character. In Romans 11:22, Paul presents God's severity as a counterpart to His compassion, illustrating that His nature encompasses both utter harshness and overt kindness. This severity is evident in how He rejected His own people Israel for a time while calling Gentiles into His church. Throughout God's Word, His severity is displayed in various narratives. He showed harshness to Job to teach him an important lesson, though He later blessed Job's latter days. He exhibited severity toward Joseph, who, as a favored but cocky youth, became a slave and prisoner in Egypt, enduring pain in shackles before rising to power. God has promised harshness to His modern-day Israelites for their sins, though He will follow it with compassion by returning them to their land. His severity struck Ananias and Sapphira, who fell dead at Peter's feet, contrasting with the kindness shown to others. Paul issues a stern warning in Romans 11:22, emphasizing that if we do not continue in God's kindness, we will feel the sting of His severity. This echoes the sobering condition that we must remain grounded in faith to receive His reconciliation. God's severity is designed to shake us to our marrow and move us to repentance if we neglect so great a salvation. We must remain aware that we are under judgment, and if we shrink back, His soul will have no pleasure in us.