Is It Right To Be Angry?

-July 16, 2022-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“Then the Lord said, ‘Is it right for you to be angry?’”

(Jonah 4:4).

The prophet Jonah was an unwilling preacher. God called him to go to Nineveh and preach the message that God’s judgment was coming and they needed to repent. Nineveh was an Assyrian city. They were enemies of Israel, and brutal ones at that. Jonah decided to hop a ship going in the opposite direction. God brought and severe storm on that ship. The men heeded Jonah when he told them to throw him overboard. The sea became calm and God caused a great sea creature to swallow him. He repented and preached at Nineveh. They all repented, from their king and nobles to all 120,000 people.

Still, Jonah was unhappy that God showed grace, mercy, and lovingkindness to the Ninevehites. In fact, he was angry. Hence, God asked him, “Is it right for you to be angry?” Our anger does not please God. It is not only a natural emotion, but it is a sin. James wrote, “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

God warned Cain about this way back in Genesis. The Lord asked him, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it” (Genesis 4:6-7). Like, Jonah, it was not right for Cain to be angry. Cain was really angry with God for rejecting his offering and accepting Abel’s. God had made it clear, sacrifices had to involve shedding of blood. He took out his anger on his brother and murdered him. Anger makes us do other terrible things. We have all been there and done that. We may not have committed murder, but we have likely said or did something in anger that hurt someone else. When we confess our sin of anger, God will forgive us, but we have to live with the consequences it has caused.

Peter got angry when the bystanders accused him of being a follower of Jesus. He cursed and swore, and denied the Lord three times. His anger sometimes gets overlooked because of his denials. There are so many instances of anger in the Bible and the disastrous results that followed.

Is it possible to be angry and not sin. Yes, it is. Tomorrow we will discuss righteous anger. How is it possible? The Bible tells us. Today, however we have been considering unrighteous anger, which is sin. Later in the book of Jonah, he got angry again when the plant God gave him to shade him from the blistering sun died. God sent a worm to damage the plant so that died. God taught him a lesson through it. God asked him, Is it right to be angry about the plant? He replied, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!” Jonah, really over a plant?

Before we judge Jonah, I’d bet we have all been angry over some pretty minor things in our lives. We have been waiting for a parking spot, and just when we are about to pull in, someone else does. Road rage, taken to an extreme has caused many killings. Let us ask God for patience in dealing with people and situations. We can and should overcome it. Walking or driving away is always the best way!

Have a blessed day avoiding the angry way. Stay safe and healthy.

In God’s glorious patience,

Dean