Love or Wrath?

I have finally understood God's love in the Old Testament.  A lot of people are confused about how God can be so loving in the New Testament and then in the Old Testament he is a God of wrath. In Deuteronomy God commands the Israelites to show a group of foreign nations no mercy (Deuteronomy 7). Yeah, God is intense in some areas in the Old Testament, but I'm sure we have all heard the passage out of Hebrews that states that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. The thing that trips me out is reading the Old Testament and seeing the terrible things that the Israelites do and God doesn't destroy them, he holds to the promise that he makes to Abraham. He holds to the promise of land, children and blessing to the nations. The book of Judges demonstrates his extreme love as well as extreme patience. Throughout the book the writer states several times that there was no king and because of it the Israelites did as they please. The last time we see this verse is last verse of the book of Judges. Yet God still has a judge to watch over them. Nor does he destroy them, that's what amazes me. I think the biggest moment of love is in Exodus when not too long after God leads them out if Israel they build the golden calf, and claim that this is the god that led them out of Egypt. Okay granted people die, and have to drink the gold mixed in the water, but still that's a pretty nice punishment - especially due to the amount of stupidity that they show here.

Note: we do see God's wrath in the New Testament like we did in the old. In Acts 5 we see this couple Ananais and Sapphira stuck down and killed in church for lying. 

I am beginning to see more and more the reason why God commands us to Love him with everything that we are, and finally understanding that it is the most important command in the Bible. All he has ever done is love us, and that's all he wants back.