Anger And The Heart Of God

Have you ever been told that anger is bad?

I sure have.

When I was little, I remember watching a show on the History Channel (I forgot which show it was so forgive me). In this show, the narrator sought to explain the 7 deadly sins. One of which, of course, was “wrath.” In my own ignorance I thought that wrath was the same thing as anger.

For instance, anger over not getting what I wanted for dinner was deadly. Being angry over being picked last at recess was deadly. Being angry over getting a bad grade in math class (which happened often) was deadly. At the same time anger over serious things was deadly too. Anger over bullying, people being blamed for things they didn’t do, and anger towards things that were unjust was… well… deadly. Have you ever thought the same thing?

Here’s the Issue

I propose that those who think that all anger is bad are actually incorrect. After all, we should be angry over some things, right? Why do I say this?

Like all of our emotions, God gave us anger to be used as a tool to navigate an imperfect world. Left unchecked, anger turns into wrath which is uncontrolled by nature. This is dangerous. But controlled anger, pointed at the right the thing and expressed in a healthy way is good and even necessary.
If you’ve read your bibles at any point, you’ll notice that God gets angry about things and His anger is meant to push human beings to action. Without God’s anger at times, human beings in covenant God were not moved to repentance. God’s anger shows us where His heart lies.
I think that if we do not have a healthy anger towards things that breaks God’s heart, then we are unable to relate to and reflect the heart of God. In other words, to be angry that the things that God make God angry is to share in the heart of God.

So, what are some things that make God angry? A survey of both the Old and New Testament would be of big importance as there are number of things that prick at His heart. But, I will need to key in on just a few things. Let’s take a look at 3 things:

First Thing: Idolatry

Idolatry is the worship or veneration of anything but God. To be an idol worshipper, is to put something before and above the Lord in your lives. It’s a dangerous sin because it can be subtle. We can fall into idolatry without even noticing like swimming at the beach and realizing we’ve drifted to far from our plot of sand. I would argue that the foundation for every sin we commit is idolatry.

It is the worship of self, putting our own interests and desires ahead of God and declaring our sovereignty over our lives, that leads us to fulfill our appetites. Not only is this rebellion against God, but this rebellion leaves us dry as sin slowly becomes less and less satisfying.

Second Thing: Injustice

The Ultimate Judge hates injustice. Proverbs 20:23 tells us that, “Unequal weights and measures are an abomination to the Lord.” In other words, cheating others out of what they are due (whether in business transactions, employer-employee relationships, tax collection, etc.) is detestable. Injustice towards the poor is also at the top of God’s list. In the Law, we see God make provisions for the poor to collect leftover grain from the fields so that they have something to eat (Lev 19:10; Lev 23:22). When Israel took advantage of the poor, they certainly heard about and received judgement (Amos 2: 6-8, etc.).

Third Thing: Sin/Evil

I could’ve easily incorporated sin and evil with “injustice”. And could easily treat evil and sin separately as well. Yet I also think that sin is evil as in sin is committing objective “oughts nots” that are counter to the “oughts” that God prescribes for us.

Proverbs 6: 16-19 gives us a literary device known as a chiasm. It begins with the statement, “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him…”

The teacher, presumably Solomon, lists:

Haughty Eyes
A Lying Tongue
Hands that Shed Innocent Blood
A heart that Devises Wicked plans
Feet that make haste to run to evil
A False Witness who breaths out lies
One who sows discord among brothers [and sisters presumably]

The purpose of the chiasm is to focus in on the center as the surrounding items are an outpouring from main issue.

In the center, we see a heart that devises wicked plans. Out of this heart comes haughtiness, lies, division, murder and hatred, a desire to do evil, and false witness. God detests it because it goes against His commands for us. He hates it because it is not His desire for us. God detests sin and evil because it is bad for us and hurts others whom He loves and whom He created. These things draw us away from Himself.

The same way that we are angry when our children get hurt by someone or something is the same way that God hates the sin that we commit.

Let’s Reflect

So. What makes you angry? Seriously. Take a moment and write 5 things that make you angry.

I am not talking about trivial things like getting the wrong drink in the Starbucks line, seeing a co-worker get a promotion based on their merit that you did not receive, or having a ton of homework to do. I am talking about true injustice in the world.

What makes you angry?

Is it rampant sex slavery in the world?

Human trafficking?

Abortion and infanticide?

The suicide rate and/or lack of genuine care for those suffering with Gender Dysphoria?

What makes you angry?

Genocide?

Sweat shops that exploit women and children for work?

Employers taking advantage of employees?

The killing of babies and leaving of infants in dumpsters?

What makes you angry?

Abuse?

The Mental health Crisis?

Homelessness?

World hunger?

Or maybe Idolatry makes your list?

I bet at least 1 or 2 of those items listed above made your top 5. I know most of them make mine.

The Heart of God

I’ve been thinking about what it means to have righteous anger and how it reflects the heart of God. The anger that we have towards these objects reflects something that we are stirred by. This stirring pricks at our conscience and leads us to:

A.) Go to the Lord and Request Justice

B.) Seek How We Can Be A Part of God’s plan to Redeem Creation

C.) Convince Others to join the cause of righting the wrongs of the world.

So, as we part ways, take a moment and reflect on these questions:

How can we stir others to action in a God-honoring way?

In what ways can we partner with God in redeeming the world around us?

How can we use anger in a healthy way in order to stir others to action?

As we look to reflect on our anger, perhaps we will see that we are ever closer to the heart of God.