A Conversation on God's Holy Anger

Numbers 7-13

ME:
I am struggling with some of the passages in this section. I know that God is a Holy God and when He is angry His anger is also holy. However, I am struggling because at times God seemed like He had a spiteful anger towards the Israelites and lacking patience with them. For example when the Israelites wanted meat God told them that He would give them so much meat that it would come out of their noses. Then, the first time He sent them meat He brought a plague on them. Then, another time, Aaron and Miriam were saying unkind things about Moses so God gave Miriam a skin disease and the Bible said God burned with anger. I'm struggling because I struggle with anger and impatience and I can already see in my mind justifying my anger and impatience by saying, "Well, God responded in the same way with His own children. Why is my anger wrong against my disobedient and complaining children?" Can anyone help clarify these passages on God's anger?

FRIEND:
God is also holy and without sin. We're not!

ME:
So, I am not looking for a way to justify my anger and impatience and I also understand God's holiness, mentioned above, and I also understand in the New Testament God gives His grace to ALL His children by dying on the cross for our sins. I guess I'm just trying to understand this portion that I just read. For example, I understand why God threw Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. They sinned against him. He told them not to eat and they did. They need to suffer the consequence of their disobedience. Yet, he still poured his grace on them by covering them with animal skin. In another section, God tells His people to keep the sabbath holy and to display how important this command is to God, someone is stoned for disobeying that command. Those passages were very black and white and I understood God's actions there. I am having difficulty understanding why God's anger seems spiteful in these Numbers passages. Or if it's not spiteful then an explanation to help me understand how it's not.

I was only saying that God's response to the Israelites seems like a response I would give my children and I know that it's not, but I don't understand how it's not.

For example, last week, my girls were destroying our furniture and they thought it was funny. As much as I tried to explain to them that destroying furniture was not ok, they just continued laughing. I started to burn with anger and out of that anger I took one of the girls treasured dolls and threw it in the trash. I explained to them that destroying property was like turning it into trash just like I just turned the doll into trash by throwing it in the trash can. My anger was spiteful.

How is God saying to Moses, "I will give them so much meat until it's coming out of their noses and they hate it..." not spiteful? And, not only did He give them so much meat, He sent a plague!

FRIEND:
I'm not sure your lesson was spiteful in itself. You were using the doll to illustrate a point. The spitefulness came out of your attitude in doing it. If you were able to not sin in your anger (you know, I'm so good at that, too!), would that be similar to God's response??

ME:
That makes so much sense! I understand!...And I only looked at it as spiteful because I would respond with spite so to me (in my sinful nature) God's Holy action looked spiteful! Thanks Chrissie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, what an aha moment!