Sep 17 2008
Wednesday, September 17th
Reading for today: Leviticus 10:1-20, 1Corinthians 11:23-26
“Then Moses made careful inquiry about the goat of the sin offering, and then it was burned up. And he was angry with Elemazar and Ithamar…” Leviticus 10:16
God takes note here. The meekest man on earth had an anger problem - and what a problem it would be.
GOD’S PROMISES: ANGER
“Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.”
Psalm 37:8
“A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, But a fool is arrogant and careless. A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, And a man of evil devices is hated.”
Proverbs 14:16-17
“He who is slow to anger has great understanding, But he who is quick-tempered exalts folly.”Proverbs 14:29
“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Proverbs 15:1
“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.”
Proverbs 16:32
“Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, For anger resides in the bosom of fools.”
Ecclesiastes 7:9
“But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
“Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”
Matthew 5:22-24
“For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
Matthew 6:14
“Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,’ says the Lord. ‘BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Romans 12:19-21
“BE ANGRY, AND YET DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger.”
Ephesians 4:26
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
Ephesians 4:31-32
“But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.”
Colossians 3:8
“For we know Him who said, ‘VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.’ And again, ‘THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.’”
Hebrews 10:30
“This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does notachieve the righteousness of God.”
James 1:19-20
The Deadliness of Anger:
Few people in the Scriptures exhibited as much anger as did King Saul. Saul’s anger seemed to erupt when David returned from battle and the women greeted him with this song: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” The Scriptures tell us, “Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him” (1 Sam. 18:7, 8).
In his anger and jealousy, Saul:
twice threw his spear at David, trying to pin David to the wall (1 Sam. 18:10, 11; 19:9, 10).
put David in a position of authority, hoping that David would fail to lead wisely and thus be discredited (1 Sam. 18:12–15).
required that David kill one hundred Philistines before he would give him his daughter in marriage, hoping that David would die while fighting the Philistines (1 Sam. 18:25–29).
pursued David continually for more than a decade, forcing David to live in exile and move frequently from hiding place to hiding place (1 Sam. 24: 26).
Not only did Saul pursue David without mercy, but he ordered the murder of those who helped David. He even turned on his own son with murderous intent (see 1 Sam. 20:30). Saul’s anger had no end.
It is easy to see anger at work in a person such as Saul. Violent outbursts lead to a boiling rage that manifests itself repeatedly over time. The angry person often has visible changes in physical appearance, such as dilated eyes and tense muscles. Internally, blood pressure rises, and the stomach feels as if it is tied in knots.
It is far more difficult to recognize anger in ourselves. We tend to tolerate a great deal of anger in our personal lives. Some even see anger as a sign of strength or power.
God’s Word, however, forbids such an ungodly tolerance for anger. That kind of anger damages emotional health and well-being and hampers spiritual growth and witness. God closely links “wrath” with the work of the evil one in our lives. So the Scriptures admonish us clearly: “Do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil” (Eph. 4:26, 27).