Day 23: Benefits of Noticing and Experiencing God’s Righteous Anger
of The Heart of God: Through David’s Eyes
Below is Day Twenty-Three of the study, but there is an introduction to check out which gives context and sets the tone, and previous weeks to look at below. If you would like the full content all in one place, this book is now available for purchase on Amazon. Week 1 - He Longs for Us to Know Who We Are
Week 2 - He Longs for Us to Respond
Week 3 - He Longs for Us to Know Him
Week 4 - He Longs for Us to Reflect His Heart
Day 22: How Despair & Community Impact We Reflect God’s Heart
Day 23: Benefits of Noticing and Experiencing God’s Righteous Anger
In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.He boasts about the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.His ways are always prosperous; your laws are rejected by him; he sneers at all his enemies.He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.” He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”His mouth is full of lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue.He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent. His eyes watch in secret for his victims;like a lion in cover he lies in wait. He lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength. He says to himself, “God will never notice; he covers his face and never sees.”Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. (Psalm 10:3-12)
Can you relate to the words of David here? Are you ever irritated, angry, or tired of noticing the behavior of others who do not rely on God? I am sure my behavior makes others feel this same way. In seasons when we feel deeply connected and united with God, it can often leave room for a huge disparity within us. When we see the behavior of those who are distant from God, we are appalled - and rightfully so. We feel dissatisfied with the way God judges His people. At the same time, we long for grace and mercy for ourselves. We don’t actually want to face the reality of our sin issues ourselves. In reality, the way God expresses his anger to His people throughout the Bible is always fair and reasonable when you look at the entire picture of His relationship with His people.
Many people who study the Bible were taught about God’s explosive anger: the way He flooded the earth, turned someone into a pillar of salt, and killed a man who touched the arch may all seem like outbursts. While, with limited information, these seem to be rage, these are actually still gracious acts of God. The problem with the way God’s anger is so frequently explained is the lack of perspective offered about the way God judges us humans. He created us and does not owe us anything. Every day that we get to live is a gift of His mercy and generosity. There is nothing owed to us. To be offered any chance to live, breathe, or experience any joy are gifts He chooses to give us everyday.
If we look at David’s words in Psalm 10, especially when he asked God to firmly lift up His hand against those who turn away from Him, it is clear from an outside perspective that David was asking for that same hand to be lifted against himself. To feel this sense of wanting both to be displayed, both His firm hand and incredible grace, seems to be the constant balance of God’s heart.
When we experience an inner turmoil about justice and fairness, we easily fall into a tailspin of feelings that lead to negative emotions such as despair or rage that are unhealthy and even dangerous. God, on the other hand, is stable in His juxtaposition of feelings. Our God’s complexity is far more secure and reasonable than we can understand. There is no need to be concerned about the way He deals consequences.
So frequently, the impact of many of the terrible things we encounter in this world have nothing to do with God’s wrath, but the freedom he has given us. He gives us freedom and choice to disobey and hurt others. However, once we turn to Him, we are requesting the intervention of His accountability. Like a school teacher who holds their class to rules of safety and structure, God has given us commandments and laws to live by. If we want to learn to be like him, we need to respect our Teacher’s loving guidance and guidelines, rules, and instruction.
The laws and instructions God gives people are not designed to shame us into thinking we are bad people, but to allow us to see what parts of our humanness should alarm us into shifting our behavior. He is not waiting with a list of ways to hurt us, hoping we will fail so He can harm us out of His anger. Our God’s desire is to equip and shape us into people who feel less pain and are active participants in good things.
At times, our love for others actually causes this exhausting frustration. We don’t want to see the way others are struggling without the relief, support, and understanding the value of accountability God offers. At times, letting others suffer seems too harsh or cruel, so we are angry about the apathy and carelessness of others who just live in the world without awareness of what they are missing. Our intention is important to notice: when we are angry, do we take a moment to decide how to respond? Are we aware if our reactions either induce shame or guilt in others?
📸: olly (via pexels)
To be perfectly honest, to shame others makes sense. There are a lot of valid things wrong with us: we are broken, sinful humans. However, when we ask, “What is wrong with you?”, we are pointing out the sin in a way that is unhelpful and creates a larger distance between us. The problem with intentionally inducing shame is thinking we are bad people. Shame isn’t helpful; however, to understand the impact of our choices, our shame notifies us that something is not how it should be. This notification can be extremely helpful.
To view ourselves as responsible for our choices is much more important than finding our identity in our imperfections. It is valid to be frustrated that we are broken people who hurt each other, but this is not what God is trying to do when He provides us with accountability and truth. Instead of leading us to shame, God is encouraging us to take responsibility and feel the guilt associated with what we did wrong so we will change. If our behavior changes, we won’t have to face the guilt again. Healing can bring freedom, peace, and more joy into our lives.
When we are following God and seeking accountability and truth for ourselves, we are aware of the sin in ourselves, others, and the world in general. We often have a heightened sensitivity to the offense sin may cause God. This is righteous anger. Righteous anger is a fair, reasonable anger that is based on the circumstances of sin. To be angry that someone was beating their child is a righteous anger. It is not acceptable to harm a child. Yet, if we respond by attempting to kill the person who beat the child, we also are responsible for the murder. The feelings of anger are not what is wrong with the situation, but they are the alarm within us that alerts us that danger is near. Unfortunately, the inner turmoil we often run into often leads to unsafe and concerning behavior if not addressed. God teaches us to address our anger by placing boundaries and following through with consequences. He faces these decisions all the time, and tomorrow we will look at what He often chooses.
We must take the time to feel and notice righteous anger within us. Then, we can protect ourselves with support to ensure we do not excuse aggressive methods of conveying our anger to others. In reality, our anger is not usually the problem or concern. Feeling anger is often helpful. What is concerning is when we become willing to defend reckless behavior due to our anger. Since anger is a good, helpful emotion to experience, it may even be something we need to practice feeling more often. Perhaps allowing ourselves to feel angry will allow us to deal with it before it consumes us and leads to unhealthy reactions.
Do you think God is a fair judge? Why or why not?
List the frustrating behaviors David observes in the people around him when he writes Psalm 10.
Which settings do you most frequently encounter anger with how people behave towards God, themselves, and others?
What does it look like for you to allow yourself to feel your anger?
What signs do you look for to determine if your anger is righteous or reckless?
Think of a time that you had righteous (fair) anger towards someone. What made the anger righteous?
Reflection
Invite God into your process of noticing your anger as well as when it is ok to feel and express it. When you do this, it is also vital to invite Him to provide accountability when you are not being fair or just in your anger. Write a short summary of your prayer here for future reference.
An excerpt of The Heart of God: Through David’s Eyes by Jill Ng