Good and Angry
A. W. Pink wrote
It is sad to find so many professing Christians who appear to regard the wrath of God as something for which they need to make an apology, or at least they wish there were no such thing . . . Yes, many there are who turn away from a vision of God’s wrath as though they were called to look upon some blotch in the Divine character . . . But what saith the Scriptures? As we turn to them we find that God has made no attempt to conceal the fact of His wrath. He is not ashamed to make it known that vengeance and fury belong unto Him . . . A study of the concordance will show that there are more references in Scripture to the anger, fury, and wrath of God, than there are to His love and tenderness. (The Attributes of God, p. 75).
One of the characteristics mankind shares with God is anger. Unlike God, however, our anger can be good or bad.
In Genesis 4:1-7, the Bible states that Cain was angry. He was angry at God and angry at his brother Able. At the heart of Cain’s anger was Cain who believed he had been wronged - primarily by God. His anger intensified and stained his worship and resulted in a murderous rage.
In 1 Samuel 17:19-26, David, a man after God’s own heart, is angry. He is angered by the criticism and taunts hurled at God and His people. He is angry because he sees the army of God retreating in cowardice. At the heart of David’s anger is God. His anger causes him to become involved, to take up the challenge and go out and meet Goliath on the field of battle.
Some people are angry people. They grumble and complain. Their nose stays out of joint and they are take everything as an insult. Such people are impatient, demanding, insulting and irritable. Such anger is ugly, controlling and hurtful.
Some people are angered by sin. They are angered by the injustice and devastation of sin. They are angered by political corruption and by a godless culture that is ruled by sex and violence. They are angry that the church is polluted and has sold the truth for approval and appeal.
We need some angry men. Not men like Cain, but men like David. Men that are distressed by evil and engaged for good.
Paul David Tripp notes,
The primary implication is that if God is holy and angry at the same time, then anger is not evil in and of itself. If it were, God would never be angry . . .Therefore, it is not merely possible to be holy and angry at the same time, it is a calling (Broken Down House, 130).
Many of us will become angry this week. Why? Will your anger be petty, self-centered and lead to hurt and disappointment? Or, will your anger propel you to do good? Our day cries out for people who are “good and angry.” Angry at sin, inequities, poverty, crime . . . Angry that God’s word, house, and day are ignored and trampled. Such anger will not lead to sin, but actions of love and righteousness. |
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