The series opens with a hard question: does God punish children for their parents’ sins (Exodus 20:5), or does each person answer only for his own sin (Deut. 24:16; Ezek. 18)? Abraham’s plea for Sodom – ‘Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?’ – anchors the answer that God’s judgments are never arbitrary, and Exodus 34:6-7 shows His justice and mercy meeting together.
From there the series faces the conquest of Canaan and God’s commands against nations steeped in idolatry and child sacrifice, arguing these judgments were righteous, not cruel. It closes with Jonah, sent to preach against violent Nineveh, whose anger at God’s mercy toward repentant sinners exposes a heart that wanted justice for others but mercy for itself – a mercy God extends generously to all who turn to Him.