Unrighteous Anger
The nation of Edom was condemned by God for their anger. We are told they “cast off all pity, and his anger tore perpetually, and he kept his wrath forever.” (verse 11) Few things destroy relationships like anger, especially perpetual anger. It singes love until everyone around repels for their own protection. Proverbs 29:11 warns us, “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man quietly holds it back.” No good comes from unrighteous anger. This is anger that stems from self. It is bred from pride and consumes peace as easily as an unchecked fire devours dry grass.
There is an anger that God does not condemn. There is an anger that brings about righteousness. This anger does not fight for selfish ambition. It defends the cause of the weak, and upholds what is right and true. Throughout scripture, God is described as possessing this type of righteous anger. We are told that “He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,” (Joel 2:13) we are also reminded that “His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime.” (Psalm 30:5) Though immensely reassuring, these verses, and many other like them, tell us that God does possess and act upon anger. However, we know that God never sins. Therefore, anger itself is not a sin and “righteous” anger must exist.
Righteous anger is the opposite of the anger we are told Edom possessed. Anger is not a sin. What we do in and with our anger may or may not be sin. Holding onto it and refusing forgiveness is a sin. Anger bubbles up in each of our lives. Even the most patient of us will, and even should, experience anger from time to time. God does. Jesus did. Many of the greats in the Bible are known for their righteous anger: Nehemiah showed anger at the oppression of the poor (Nehemiah 5:1-13), Moses showed anger when he came down the mountain and discovered the people worshipping a golden calf (Exodus 32), and Paul expressed anger at the false teaching of the Galatians (Galatians 1:6-9), just to name a few. We need to be careful to keep anger within the boundaries God intended it to remain in. Anger should bring about holiness. It should be motivated by what is right and true, and it should have the purpose of exposing and fighting sin – never our brothers or sister. Let us never forget the instructions of James in James 1:19-20, “Know this, my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God.”
(Written by Keegan Harkin.)
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