“An angry man stirs up strife, and a furious one abounds in transgression.” Proverbs 22:29
Devotional Thought For The Day
Anger, wrath, and fury are common human emotions, especially for those who are involved in extremely important things and for those who care a great deal about matters. Some people can also become quite irritable about small things. The person who is emotionally flat may not even understand deep and fiery passions, but I suspect virtually every human being is capable of being stirred to great anger. There are a variety of things that evoke such feelings, but they all involve the appearance or perception of something being wrong or contrary to our happiness and success. There seems to be a deep well of this emotion available to us, which we try to control and keep in check, but which we can draw from when it suits the occasion. And from time to time the pressure in this well builds up and explodes. Such explosions are dangerous and almost always involve us in transgression.
Why should it be that we have such a reservoir of anger? The simple answer is the existence of sin in the world, which causes all manner of conflict, injury, disappointment, irritation, and pain. Our own sinful impulses may be punished and frustrated, exacerbating our guilt with anger. The sins that others commit against us cause us pain and sorrow, and increase the pool of anger within us. Competition can create even more anger – the agony of defeat, and even indignation that another would dare to challenge us. I suppose that there is a utilitarian purpose for anger as well – when we need intense effort for the sake of fighting off evil or accomplishing some very difficult good. Anger can be directed toward good purposes, although it must be carefully measured and controlled so that it does not veer off into evil. Doing evil for the sake of accomplishing something good is still doing evil.
Anger is an aspect of human being that can be manipulated to the detriment of others. So the angry man who stirs up strife. He seeks to lower others to his own level, making them as foolish as he is. He knows that people who are angry and fighting make mistakes and are vulnerable. One who is “furious” is in danger of losing control and acting without any common sense or reason at all. This is when transgression abounds – when we are not in control of ourselves and carefully keeping our sinful nature in check. Because of the dangers of anger, and because of the inner harm that it inflicts on human being, Scripture contains many warnings against anger, wrath, and fury. We do well to heed those warnings and to keep a close eye on our inner being.
There is also righteous anger – that which God has against sin and evil. He alone has the right to such anger, and it is important for us to see how He resolves this emotion. First, that He expresses His anger in a measured, meaningful, and corrective manner. Second, that His just anger has been quelled and absorbed within Himself – at the cross of Jesus Christ, Who has taken away the guilt and punishment we deserve for our sin. Thus He is free to forgive us, and free to continue working with us using dynamics of love rather than anger, threat, intimidation, and coercion. As we live in repentance and joyful faith in His forgiveness and love, we learn how to manage our anger in a godly way – by remembering that others have also been forgiven by God, by personally forgiving them, by leaving our anger in God’s hands, and always living humbly in His gracious mercy and love. This preserves us from capitulating to the wicked and destructive aspects of anger.
We should note those who delight in stirring up strife and those who cannot contain or control their fury. These are dangerous people, and fomenting wrath and dissension is particularly wicked, just as wicked as the expression of fury. We should pray for such, and do what we can to assuage and soothe anger in others – but taking care not to involve ourselves in evil for the sake of peace. Sin has to be opposed. We must control it first in ourselves, and if possible, help others as well. There may be times when we cannot help an angry person and we simply have to get out of their way and let others deal with them. Ultimately, God will deal with those who remain impenitent and committed to anger and transgression. We should fear this for them, even as we are relieved that God will protect us. Understanding the dangers of anger, we are wise to pray God to help us control and manage our own emotions and passions, in His forgiveness and love.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, sin does cause wrath and indignation, and we all have part in contributing to this danger and wickedness. Forgive us for our contributions to wrath, within ourselves and within others. Help us to grow in our faith and trust in Your forgiveness and mercy, that we may repent of our evil anger and get rid of it. Protect us from the wrath and fury of others, and the evil transgressions they perpetrate against us. Make us peaceable, and keep us from stirring up strife and anger, but keep us firm in our commitment to avoiding evil and doing good no matter the cost. Amen.