“MISGUIDED ANGER, MASSIVE ANGER, MINIMAL ANGER, OR THE MASTER’S ANGER?”
JUNE 21-22, 2018, BY: J.FARRELL FISHER
Highly interesting Verse in Psalm 90:11, a prayer of Moses which is highly significant when he said: “Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.” Would you say, “Yes, there IS the ‘power of God’s anger’, and it can be and is expressed to the ‘godless’, and, at times, even upon His own people!
In Exodus 4, Moses, receiving instructions from the Lord about appearing and accusing Pharaoh for his actions against God’s “chosen people”, reacts to God about His instructions, and in Exodus 4:14 the Word tells us: “So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses…”! That bothers some people who profess faith because their attitude is, “Holy God should never be angry with anybody, especially His own people”, and yet it’s clear from Genesis through Revelation that there IS “divine anger” as there is “flesh anger”!
(Of course, ‘flesh-folk’, even ‘God’s own children of faith’, are fully aware of the moment or moments when emotions arise of instant displeasure, instant hostility, instant indignation, from feelings of injustice, injury, or incompatibility with one’s expectations!).
There is no doubt that, even in the “Christian communities of faith”, there ARE the ‘moments’ (?), or the ‘s (?), or the ‘days’ (?), when Holy God Himself stands in “firm” opposition to the ‘flesh acts’ of some believers at times, that I would say ‘at least’ should be very infrequent!
Legitimate anger among believers? In Ephesians 4:26 Paul wrote, “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, Verse 27, nor give place to the devil.” Uncontrolled anger, undisciplined anger, unnecessary anger, has a special place, standing before Holy God ,to give an explanation, and repent or else!
Merrill Unger, in his huge “Unger’s Bible Dictionary”, published by Moody Press in 1974, wrote: “Anger is sinful when it rises too soon, without reflection; when the injury which awakens it is only apparent; when it is disproportionate to the offense; when it is transferred from the guilty to the innocent; when it is too long protracted and becomes revengeful.”
Illegitimate anger among believers? In Matthew 5:21-22 we read, Jesus speaking, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment. BUT I SAY TO YOU that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause (so ‘anger’ without a cause faces ‘judgment’ but ‘anger’ with a cause faces judgment? YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT!!) shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ (OR ‘worthless’, ‘empty’, ‘good-for-nothing’) shall be in danger of the council.)” That doesn’t sound good! But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.”
Illegitimate anger? In Genesis 49:5-7, as the Spirit-inspired what Jacob spoke, we read, “Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; and their wrath, for it is cruel!”
Did you notice? “Anger, self-will, cruelty, ‘slaying folk’” – and that doesn’t have to be just ‘physical murder’ – it can be ‘spiritual murder’ as one cruelly puts down a “fellow saint” for not measuring up to one’s ‘fleshly opinion’!
In Proverbs 29:20-23 we read, “Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. He who pampers his servant from childhood will have him as a son in the end. An angry man stirs up strife, and a furious man abounds in transgressions. A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor.” Dare I tell you? A humble man can rise up in anger because of the ill-will for one man or the other, but a proud man will rise up in uncontrollable anger because he’s self-empowered for his honor and not God’s!! And he faces eternal danger or damnation!
Included also for those who walk the waves of illegitimate anger are those who carelessly brutalize a wife, a husband, a friend, a business associate, a classmate, or even an enemy, without any consideration of Holy God in making an eternal difference in a man’s inhumanity toward others! Consider ‘kids’, ‘teenagers’, brought up in godless neighborhoods or with godless parents, and, at times, find no problem in shaming, disgracing, even brutalizing a ‘lone sheep’ without a guardian because Mom and Dad both work and he’s left alone to ‘try’ and make it in, around, and through reckless bands of neighborhood ‘kids’ that act like ‘demons’ toward others! There are ruthless kids, young adults, even angry men, and they remain that way because self-will, self-determination about who or what one likes, with ‘self-sovereignty’ reigning supreme in their sinful hearts, AND THEY LIKE IT, at least, for a time in their godless adventures, and with illegitimate anger come against others!
And the illegitimately angry crowd has NOTHING to be proud about in, at times, their unrighteous outbursts of anger, indecency, and fleshly pride! In Romans 1:18-2:11 Paul writes a powerful word about what I seek to expose. Listen!! “For the WRATH OF GOD is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God IS MANIFEST IN THEM, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, BEING UNDERSTOOD BY THE THINGS THAT ARE MADE, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that THEY ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE; because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful,
But became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image like corruptible man – and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. THEREFORE God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, WHO EXCHANGED THE TRUTH OF GOD FOR “THE LIE”, (“THE LIE”? One can sin and not die!!), and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. ( ISN’T THIS WORD ENOUGH?). BUT…
Romans 2:1-11 says, “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to THOSE WHO ARE SELF-SEEKING and DO NOT OBEY THE TRUTH, but obey unrighteousness – indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.” DOES THAT SPEAK TO YOU, AWAKEN YOU, AND TURN YOU FROM THE EVIL WAY TO THE WAY OF CHRIST ALONE?
The ‘self-seekers’, the ‘self-promoters’, the ‘self-worshippers’, have no problem “pushing God away” from their hearts, but their minds cannot obliterate the reality of God from their thinking processes! In Romans 1:19-20 (NLT), Paul wrote inspired by the Holy Spirit, “For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has PUT THIS KNOWLEDGE IN THEIR HEARTS. From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see His invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature. So that they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.”
The ‘self-seekers’ supposedly don’t ‘know God’ because they choose to be blind to His Presence, yes, even as He “knocks on their hearts’ doors”, because they are ‘in love’ with their sin-natures, ‘deceived’ by Satan, and captivated by a ‘world-spirit’ that tries to shut God out! How foolish, how ridiculous, how stupid!
In Psalm 2:1-6 there are powerful statements about ‘fallen man’s attempts’ about radicalizing God out of their existence, though He never leaves! It says: “Why do the nations rage, and the people plot (or ‘imagine’) a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us.’ (BUT) He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision. THEN He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure. “Yet (in spite of My displeasure) I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.” GLORY!!
‘Self-seekers’ have no desire to face God’s reactions to their attempts to annihilate “Faith and Forgiveness and a God-Present Now” in the inner man, since ‘self-rule’ is more desirable to them than the love, grace, and mercy of God in “birthing” NEW MEN by His eternal Power and Glory and Purposes, and His Resurrected Presence “in Christ Jesus”!
Many unbelievers and “pretenders” won’t like it, but Seneca, in the writing, “De Providentia, V”, said: “Gold is tried in fire, and acceptable men (by God) in the furnace of adversity.” So true! Didn’t Isaiah write, in Isaiah 30:20, “””””And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers.”””””” Dare me to tell you? Believe I will! Examine “misguided anger,” “massive anger”, “minimal anger”, OR, dare you look at the “Master’s anger”?
Verse 21, “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.” Walking IN “the Way”? Man’s ‘ways’ or God’s “Way, Truth, and Life”? Dare YOU “rest” in Psalm 18:28-36, and Verses 46-50?
Psalm 18:28-36 says: “For You will light my lamp; the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? It is God who arms me with strength, AND makes my way perfect.
He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me on high places. He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great. You enlarged my path under me, so my feet do not slip.” Oh, and then, Verses 46-50! It says: “The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted.
It is God who avenges me, and subdues the peoples under me; He delivers me from my enemies. YOU also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man. Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing praises to Your name. Great deliverance He gives to His king, and shows mercy to His anointed, to David and his descendants forevermore (and to Farrell & Sue Fisher and their descendants FOREVERMORE!!).
I wrote a few words just moments ago entitled, “I AM MY LORD’S”! It says: “I am my Lord’s, and He is mine, my Lord and Savior, yes, God divine…
In adversity, distress, and ‘enemy attack’, the Lord is ever faithful in guarding against Satan’s attacks.
Though the pathway of life may be filled with strife, my Lord is able to resurrect ‘death’ into eternal life!
Eternal Life, His present reality, Eternal Life, His constant provision, divinely resident to halt Satan’s derision.
I am my Lord, and He is mine, my Lord and Savior, yes, God divine. Never to leave me or strand me alone, His present voice Heaven’s constant, familiar tone!
“I’ll never leave you to strive on your own – You are MINE, and because of My Presence, YOU WILL SHINE!
Shine to My glory, shine to My praise, because of mercy and grace, YOU I will raise, raised to My Presence, never to depart, YOU are made ONE with the Father’s heart!” Amen and Amen and Amen? Glory to our Lord’s Precious Name, yes, constantly of will, bowing continuously to the Father’s heart!” AMEN?