I am not angry, but I want to rant about anger, if that’s okay with you.
We love our anger. Hold it close, nurture it, feed it, justify it, defend it. I have even seen people get angry because I dare to bring it up in conversation. Though we keep it well hidden beneath our shirt, anger is precious. (If you are a Lord of the Rings fan, think Gollum here).
This subject came up yesterday as we were studying Genesis chapter 4 in our Sunday Bible class. We noted that God was unimpressed with Cain’s offering. Not that God wanted Cain to give more or differently- It seems that God was distressed at the condition of the heart of this man. So the Lord mentioned His concern to Cain much like a parent would inquire of a sour-faced child. Cain’s response was to become very angry (or was he already very angry and God just called him on it?).
Now here is the money verse: “If you do what is right you will be accepted. If you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”
What artistry of words. I can just picture sin as a 400 pound lion pacing at Cain’s door, hungry and completely equipped to knock out his prey with one swipe of the paw and break Cain’s neck with one easy bite. The lion doesn’t even need to expend any energy breaking down Cain’s door. It just waited patiently for his meal to step out to use the outhouse or go to the market. Or visit his brother.
If you have listened to many sermons at all you have likely heard about anger. The standard line goes something like this: “Anger is an emotion that needs to be channelled for good. Don’t let it get the best of you and try to get rid of it as soon as possible. But anger can accomplish great good if you let it . . . You can affect (fill in the blank here) social justice, world hunger, AIDS, poverty, whatever, if you will just allow God to morph your anger into Good.” Some preachers will even add, “Besides, Jesus was angry sometimes, too. Remember when he got mad at the moneychangers in the Temple courtyard?” <Insert scripture HERE about Jesus cleansing the temple. Only there is NO indication that Jesus was angry or expressed anger. But why let facts change our minds?.>
Really. Look it up. Look in Luke 19:45 or Mark 11:15 or Matthew 21:12 or John 2:14. Go ahead and do it now; I can wait. . . Surprising, isn’t it? No mention of anger. A cross reference over to Psalms 69:9 mentions zeal, but that hardly means anger. Sure, I would have been angry given the circumstances. But was Jesus? One can only make a case for Jesus’ anger if they overlay a depraved (Cainlike) spirit upon Him. I am unwilling to do that. Otherwise scripture is silent on this one.
Is your blood pressure rising yet?
Cain was at a crossroads with God. There is no doubt that his life was going to be radically different based upon the choice he would make about what to do with his anger. We know how Cain chose and the lion was satisfied. But what if Cain had believed God? What if he would have said simply, “You are right, Father”? I can’t guess at the outcome, other than to interject my own experience. I just know that the lion flees every time I confess my anger. By letting loose of my anger I give God room to work in and through my life.
Good christians have said to me, “But the Bible says God gets angry. Can’t I have a righteous anger, too?” Yes and NO. Yes God has a right to his righteous anger. No, I don’t have any sort of claim on His right to righteous anger. Sorry, but anger is not in our inheritance, therefore we don’t get to spend it early. We can all search for scripture passages that speak of human anger and, basically, the consensus is that we must play hot potato with it. Anger burns if held too long.
If you still want to believe a Christian has a right to anger then let’s play a substitution game; shall we? It seems to me that Paul, in Ephesians 4 and 5 lumped together anger, greed, lust, bitterness and slander as feelings we should play hot potato with. Are you with me? Do we agree that this is a partial list of “bad” human qualities? So let’s play . . .
- ”I am going to use this greed I’m feeling right now for the betterment of God’s kingdom. After the more I get the more I give. “
- “I don’t need to stop lusting. After all, God put it in me. I just need to not let it run my life. But a little is okay.”
- “I am gonna take my bitterness and pray that God would use it. Then after I have committed it to prayer I am going to implant it into everyone I meet! Praise Jesus!”
- “Slander is not so bad. It’s not like I killed someone or something. People just have to understand not to say mean stuff to me or else I will just have to slander them back. If people weren’t so mean my slanderous side wouldn’t come out so much.”
Playing the substitution game helps give me clarity about words and ideas. It helps open my mind to my own preconceived notions and expose my double-mindedness. I have to admit to myself that if nursing a little anger is acceptable, then I am okay to do a little lusting over the new secretary. And if a healthy dose of rage is an acceptable motivator for “good”, then the same amount of bitterness must be good for my soul, too.
I challenge you to search the scriptures to find where a man’s anger has ever worked out well. I think you will find that it never does. In fact every time we see man’s anger vented this pattern emerges: A disaster of colossal proportions ensues and then God steps in gracefully to cover the mess. Even the “big guys” like Moses and Samson let their anger get the best of them sometimes. Those are some lessons that I’d rather avoid, thank you.
I challenge myself to recognize anger for what it really is (besides sin): It is an invitation to life change that cannot be denied. Specifically, change that causes me to look either more or less Christlike. The choice before me is what to do with it. I can try my best to use anger for good, but there is the issue of that lion outside the door. Or I can do what Cain did not, and simply confess my anger to God. Isn’t anger really just a disagreement with God? When I admit to my anger, I admit that He and I are not seeing eye to eye. This a good start: one which God honors with grace.
“If you do what is right you will be accepted.” I sure want to be accepted, so I suppose I need to do what is right. What is right ? I think we can rule out that right is doing better. God didn’t seek a better or bigger offering from Cain and He doesn’t ask it of us either. He wanted Cain’s heart, his attitude, his spirit. He wanted Cain to make an offering of his precious anger. Give ownership of it to God to do with as He sees fit. Simple? Try it.
In the end, I guess it is fair to say that anger is a little like pornography. I can’t deny its pervasiveness, but I can deny it access into my head. I just don’t need the heartache it brings. We all know how it ruins relationships. Ask your wife how much pornography would be acceptable to her, then ask God how much anger would be acceptable to Him. Bet you get the same answer.
Blessings
Stumble It!