Violent God

I just read Nahum, a small book in the Hebrew Bible. It's part of what is known as the Book of the Twelve or the "minor" prophets depending on tradition (though the latter certainly has a horrible connotation). At any rate, the book describes the God of Israel, the one true God of all creation, reveling in the destruction of Ninevah, capital city of Assyria who was more or less the powerhouse of the 7th century BCE.

I am bothered by this image of God.

I don't like a God who revels in destruction and death and killing. It seems like a maladjusted child who builds her blocks only so she can knock them all down, marveling at her own power. Worse, a little boy who raises an ant farm only to then kill them, watching them squirm. Why? Shouldn't God be more civilized, more evolved than a bloodlustful warrior who delights in the pain of a temporary enemy?

I struggle to find answers that make me feel better. I wonder if maybe the Hebrews were imposing their own views onto God. They sought revenge and so God was a vengeful warrior. After all, they were a pre-modern, unenlightened people whose surrounding neighbors all abided by a warring worldview. War was what they knew. It's no wonder they had a violent image of God, the poor dopes.

That almost works.

Except, am I any different? Am I denying God could be violent because my bias is to be against violence? So who am I to say my bias is better than the Hebrews? Am I more evolved or are they closer to the simple truth?