Perhaps it is because people don’t want God to disapprove of them. Especially not to get angry with them, or threaten them. Although they may be happy for God to disapprove of the behaviour of others.
Ah, and there is the tension. Do you really want a God who has favourites? Well, to be honest, yes. I want him to favour me. But what if he doesn’t? What if he seems to favour others? How can you get him to condone what you do? Could he be bribed, flattered, persuaded, seduced, impressed, lobbied? We probably already know how that game would work out. It would favour the corrupt and wealthy.
A just and fair God would really be better. But could God be both fair and benign? It depends on whether it is his job to do something about evil. It might be difficult to be benign and to do something about evil. Cleaning up evil would involve some serious action.
What if God did let people be frightened out of their wits from time to time in order to wake them up to the possibility of worse? Or what if he just left them up to the results of their own choices, in the hope they would see how bad their behaviour was and turn away from it? Or what if his apparently benign tolerance was meant to lead people to change their ways, rather than be seen as approval for the way they lived? What if he brought everyone’s life to an end at the time he chose, and then passed judgment on it?
Would this be a good thing? Would that be a good God?
Dale