Anger

• The First Family: Cain & Abel (Genesis 4)
• Jacob's Family: Jacob fled to his Uncle Laban because of his brother Esau's anger.... (Genesis 27)
• Anger in the relationship between Jacob and Rachel caused rash decisions: 2 Jacob became very angry with Rachel and said, "Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?" 3 Then she said, "Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, that she may bear upon my knees and that I too may have children through her. (Genesis 30/NRSV)
• Anger in the family of Jacob was present often because of deception. Jacob being accused of stealing - something his wife, Rachel stole without his knowing it. (Genesis 31)
• King Saul in Relation to David: As they were coming home, when David returned from killing the Philistine, the women came out of all the towns of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. 7 And the women sang to one another as they made merry, "Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands." 8 Saul was very angry, for this saying displeased him. He said, "They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands; what more can he have but the kingdom?" 9 So Saul eyed David from that day on. 10 The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand; 11 and Saul threw the spear, for he thought, "I will pin David to the wall." But David eluded him twice. 12 Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him but had departed from Saul. (1 Samuel 18)
• The disciples of Jesus: 20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. 21 And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom....When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. (Matthew 20)

Relating God's Anger To Us:
Nu 14:18 'The LORD is slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children to the third and the fourth generation.'

Instructions Regarding Anger:
Eph 4:26 Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger....
Eph 4:31 Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice....
Eph 6:4 And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Col 3:8 But now you must get rid of all such things--anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth.
1Ti 2:8 I desire, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument....

For Reflection:

1. We all get angry. The critical question has to do with what we do with our anger. We are told to not let the sun go down on our anger. We are not to hold on to our anger. What happens when we do hold on to our anger? How can we let go of our anger in a way that brings healing?

2. Anger held on to is destructive for adults and children. What are ways we can provoke children to anger? What does the discipline of the Lord look like?

3. How does praising God (lifting up holy hands) bring healing from anger?

4. Is there anger in your life that you would like to be rid of today?

Pray for God's deliverance from anger.