Prophetic Anger Week 4

Preface to the scripture

Jeremiah

Jeremiah is a Prophet meaning that these are in some ways the literal words of God being spoken through Jeremiah

He has lived through Exile with these people, he has come of Exile and has been there as the new temple got rebuilt

The temple is the gathering place for many, the water fountain of the office so to speak

Jeremiah is standing publically where people are gathered, holding whatever the Old Testament equivalent of a megaphone would be and speaking these words

People

When they were going to the temple they were ignoring the people that were being oppressed on the outside of the temple

Their worship of Yahweh was disconnected with their actions

Their religion was a slice of the pie not the whole pie

Their theology was on Sunday and not throughout the week

Scripture

Jeremiah 7:5–11 NRSV

5 For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, 6 if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, 7 then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever. 8 Here you are, trusting in deceptive words to no avail. 9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, “We are safe!”—only to go on doing all these abominations? 11 Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your sight? You know, I too am watching, says the Lord.

Wow - these words would have gotten him killed and later in chapter 26th people try to kill him over these words

Jeremiah is incredibly angry - think about that, we often skip over the

Pause for a second and just think about the last time you were angry, about anything

We all get angry about something

The reality of us as people is that Anger is unavoidable, but it is controllable

5 Core emotions Anger is one of them

regardless of what culture we are in, or where we are raised, we know how what anger looks like “Ekman”

We all express anger and often times it would feel like we don’t necessarily choose what we are angry about

So often the things that I get angry about are personal and they are usually not worthwhile reasons to be angry

I will get angry about the silliest things

about being cut off in traffic

or disagreeing about what to have for dinner

being in patient because I have to wait

Maybe we are angry because of the election

Oftentimes anger is a way that our grief present itself

That in feeling some sense of anger over a loss or a perceived loss

In the spirit of last week I will confess that I can be angry that we are still having to mask and distance and follow all of the procedures

But most of that stuff is about me

Its anger that is focused on me

Its being selfish with my anger

When I focus so much on the “me” I forget the “we”

Pastor John last week talked about reclaiming that language that reminds us that we are in this together “we the people”

That if my anger is used only to help “me” and not to help us it probably isn’t necessary

You see the ancient people had this view of a stoic God

A God that showed no emotion

The people sought to be more like God and as such they sought to limit any emotion

Jeremiah interrupts that narrative

Jeremiah is incredibly angry - think about that, we often skip over the significance here

Jeremiah is acting as a prophet relaying a message from God

Meaning that it is not just Jeremiah that is angry it is God that is angry

God being angry is terrifying

God’s anger vs. my anger

What’s God’s anger about?

God is mad that the people have forgotten the widows, and orphans

God is mad specifically that all of those things that they were doing inside the temple was preventing them from loving people on the outside of the temple

Their worship does not lead them to action

God’s anger is focused on other people

In fact an extension of Gods anger follows up this passage in

Matthew 21:13 NRSV

13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a den of robbers.”

Jesus references this exact passage years later

When more injustices are happening

When people come inside the temple and make it a marketplace

not only do they make it a marketplace they make it an unfair marketplace that once again hurts many of those that are on the outside

We are made in the image of God in likeness with God

Maybe God crafted us to be being that had anger

Maybe anger was a part of our design not an accident from it

Is my anger is about something that only matters to me is it righteous.

Or does my anger reflect Gods anger

The Prophetic series that we are in all really built off that first week, the beginning of the lineage of prophets with Abraham and God saying you and your people will be a blessing to other. Some times your people will struggle for peace, or being just, or being honest about the way that you

Use your Anger to be a Blessing

Anger is like a hammer

I have this hammer here

What I mean is that this hammer is capable of doing tremendous damage

It is also capable of building up entire houses

The hammer isn’t bad

In fact, it’s necessary for a lot of things

if we just decided that we didn’t want to use hammers anymore there would be a whole lot of repair project that would be left undone

Anger is the same way

It’s not all bad

but if it isn’t used right anger can cause tremendous damage

More damage then we could probably comprehend

but anger that is used properly to remind us of those that are on the margins

Anger that reminds us to fight for those who need fought for

Anger that remembers those that are hurting

Anger that ultimately inspires action

With all of the reasons that we have to be angry..

Please don’t allow this week to be an excuse to be angry about something that you were already angry about

Instead ask what might be at the bottom of that anger?

Is it serving me, or is it serving God?

Close in Prayer