So Much Anger

As one lives in the modern society it is hard not to feel as if they are surrounded by so much anger. Every point of disagreement or uncomfortableness is met with anger. It is almost as if we have stopped trying to understand each other and simply assumed that we understand every other point of view. This kind of thinking can lead us to arrogantly thinking we know what is best and passing judgement on others. It is dividing our world, country, communities, congregations, families, and relationships. Anger is not helping us it is hurting us deeply.

Some one might expect that this teaching is going to be about not getting angry. It is not, rather we need to talk about what appropriate anger looks like and what to do with anger.

First it needs to be understood, anger rarely helps a situation. It is hard to harness anger in a positive way. In most interactions we have in life anger is distructive and disrupts what is other wise a peacful exsistence. Yakov or James the brother of Yeshua writes about anger. He writes about anger in regards to its relation with obideance to Torah. .

Holy Scriptures: Tree of Life Version Chapter 1

19Know this, my dear brothers and sisters: let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger— 20for human anger doesn’t produce the righteousness of God. 21So put away all moral filth and excess of evil and receive with humility the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

19Know this, my dear brothers and sisters: let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger— 20for human anger doesn’t produce the righteousness of God. 21So put away all moral filth and excess of evil and receive with humility the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Yakov is not mixing words he very directly writes “human anger does not produce the righteousness of God”. That is a mike drop. What in our life are we doing day in and day out or to say it another way, what is life but service to HaShem? How can have a service to HaShem and not produce righteousness? Ergo how can we serve HaShem in anger? Yakov compares human anger to moral filth and excess of evil, encouraging us to receive with humility, not with authority not for our judgment not for our lordship but in humility receive the Torah planted with in us that our souls maybe saved.

Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society, Holy Scriptures: Tree of Life Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2015), .

Yakov is not mixing words he very directly writes “human anger does not produce the righteousness of God”. That is a mike drop. What in our life are we doing day in and day out or to say it another way, what is life but service to HaShem? How can have a service to HaShem and not produce righteousness? Ergo how can we serve HaShem in anger? Yakov compares human anger to moral filth and exess of evil, encouraging us to recieve with humility, not with authority not for our judgment not for our lordship but in humility recieve the Torah planted with in us that our souls maybe saved.

What does this mean? How could the implanted word or Torah save my soul. The commandments or Mitzvot are directions for how to love Adonai and how to love others. If we are acting in love we are probably paying attention to the greatest Rabbi of love that is Yeshua. If we are living and loving other as Yeshua lived and loved, then in stead of anger, we are the kind of person that loves as described in .

4  Love is patient and kind, not jealous, not boastful,

5  not proud, rude or selfish, not easily angered,

and it keeps no record of wrongs.

As one continues to read Yakovs words one will see he shows that a symptom of anger is the loose tongue or the tongue of fire. A hateful tongue that is not controlled and hurts others.

Complete Jewish Bible Chapter 13

4  Love is patient and kind, not jealous, not boastful,

5  not proud, rude or selfish, not easily angered,

and it keeps no record of wrongs.

As one continues to read Yakovs words one will see he shows that a symptom of anger is the loose tongue or the tongue of fire. A hateful tongue that is not controlled and hurts others.

26If anyone thinks he is religious and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is futile.

Holy Scriptures: Tree of Life Version Chapter 1

26If anyone thinks he is religious and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is futile.

Yakov goes so far to say that if one is not controlling their tongue the persons religous beliefs and actions are pointless. Yakov seems to be expressing the idea that human anger should not be something that is used to spread the message of Adonai.

Yakov goes so far to say that if one is not controlling their tongue the persons religious beliefs and actions are pointless. Yakov seems to be expressing the idea that human anger should not be something that is used to spread the message of Adonai.

So that is what anger does not look like anger is not a tool to use for the service of HaShem. What does appropriate anger look like then.

I want to use a few proverbs to make these points. 1st we will look at

Holy Scriptures: Tree of Life Version Chapter 14

29One who is slow to anger shows

great understanding,

but a quick-tempered one exalts folly.

This phrase “slow to anger” is used many times but it has different meanings in some uses. Here we read the phrase juxtaposed against being quick-tempered. In this instance this type of anger is patient. Some versions of scripture may even include the word patience.

Some times we confuse patience for waiting in our society. It is very reasonable to do so they are often said at the same time waiting patiently. This can give one the impression that the one who is waiting patiently is calm and satisfied with waiting. The reality is this is only half true waiting patiently does describe one who is calm but that does not mean they are satisfied. In no way does the phrase imply that. We the hearer or reader of the phrase assume that. The reality is one who is very angry about having to wait but appears to be calm and is not displaying anger has waited patiently too.

When one is patient they maybe angry but they do not act on their anger. Their manner of speech, actions, and interaction with others would not reveal their anger. That is not to say they are suppressing their emotions. By no means is this what they are doing. They are simply not acting on their emotions. The reasons for this are very many besides simply this is an appropriate type of anger according to scripture.

Being patient also recognizes that just becomes I feel angry does not mean I am justified in feeling angry. If some one does something or says something you do not like, that may explain your anger, but it does not justify it. To be more clear our dissatisfaction does not make it acceptable for us to be angry. Just cause you do not like it does not mean you can be angry about it. When we feel angry anyways yet we do not show it cause we realize this is something we do not like not an evil or injustice then we are patiently angry.

One might be patient because they realize they or some one else do not have enough knowledge of a situation or topic and they are cautious to cause offense or act inappropriately. So sometimes patience is an appropriate type of anger.

In we see the phrase slow to anger used once again.

Holy Scriptures: Tree of Life Version Chapter 16

32Better to be slow to anger

than a mighty warrior.

One who controls his temper is better

than one who conquers a city.

Here the phrase is compared to one who controls their temper. This is a controlled anger. This is a person who perhaps it can be seen they are angry or they have warned that they are angry but they are not allowing their anger to control them. They are not making decisions based on their emotion of anger. This would include their choice of words and manner of speech as well as their actions and behavior. This control even goes in to the their own thoughts and not allowing anger to influence the conclusions they come too.

This type of anger can manifest often times in frustration. When things do not go our way or people do things other than what we want or when people make what is on our opinion unwise decisions we get upset. Often times the more we care about that person the more upset we get because we fear for their well being. We then think that because we are acting in their best interest to stop this hurt from coming to them we have the right or authority to yell and scream and shout and march and protest and confront them about their evil. We pull up the full force of our righteous indignation against them. Yet that is wrong. What I described is very accurate for people when they experience this type of anger and allow it to control them. If one listened closely what happened was we turned the person we cared about in to the “enemy” our righteous indignation was against them and it never should have been.The problem was with the danger not them. We love them the danger is what we must stop. Yet in our anger controlling us it wanted to exert control over them. It used fear to do so. It makes us fearsome to them. It is the fight fire with fire philosophy. When one fights fire with fire they just end burning everything down it does not work.

We live in a world that wants to break down everyone and everything. The evil inclination is always prowling and waiting for us to drop our guard. It is doing so with our loved ones too. As people of a loving God we are called to be righteous. We must set aside our own fear and anger, in other words control our fear and anger, or else we will harm those we would claim to love. In this type of “slow to anger” it is a controlled anger not anger controlling us.

So the appropriate anger we have is one that should not necessarily be seen or if it should be seen it should be controlled. This is exactly the anger Ra Shaul or Paul wrote about in .

26“Be angry, yet do not sin.” Do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27nor give the devil a foothold

Holy Scriptures: Tree of Life Version Chapter 4

26“Be angry, yet do not sin.” Do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27nor give the devil a foothold

Some scholars believe Ra Shaul is quoting .

Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society, Holy Scriptures: Tree of Life Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2015), .

Often times this is used as justification for long wearing discussions in the night when some one is upset. It is not. That is a very troublesome practice allowing yourself to become fatigued physically and emotionally while trying to make amends or decision is ill advisable. What it is saying though is be patient and control the anger. Do not be wrathful. This does not mean give up and it does not mean to vent it either. It means to control it with purpose. The problem may still be addressed but you do not have to allow anger to control the addressing.

Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society, Holy Scriptures: Tree of Life Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2015), Eph 4:26–27.

Ra Shaul includes this in the closing of the chapter as he warns the community against the products and instigation of uncontrolled impatient anger.

Holy Scriptures: Tree of Life Version Chapter 4

29Let no harmful word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for building others up according to the need, so that it gives grace to those who hear it. 30Do not grieve the Ruach ha-Kodesh of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness and rage and anger and quarreling and slander, along with all malice.

These things are caused by anger and cause anger. It is a self fueling cycle. Our uncontrolled anger grieves Adonai. In our impatient anger we disappoint him. In stead of anger we are given another instruction.

Holy Scriptures: Tree of Life Version Chapter 4

32Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other just as God in Messiah also forgave you.

Be slow to anger be quick to forgive. Be kind. Be compassionate. These are the things that Adonai has done and wants us to do. There is not reward in heaven waiting us based on our anger. There is reward waiting for us for our kindness, compassion, and forgiveness.