#CanLoveGetAngry

I ended the last post by saying that this series has gone beyond an attack on the false teaching that God does not get angry. Let us use the opportunity to also learn what God’s word says about our anger. At the end of the series God-willing, we will connect the dots and conclude that an angry God will not be acting outside His holiness.

We learned that anger was not evil in itself although it could lead to evil. It can be said that the original ANGER (emotion of displeasure and disappointment) has been corrupted, like all emotions, since the fall of mankind. But this does not make emotions evil. Appetite is not evil even though it can lead to gluttony. The natural desire for sex is not evil even though it can lead to fornication. Likewise, anger is not evil; although it can be blamed for much of the evil in our world.

The desire for good things can be turned into greed. The desire for sex can be turned into promiscuity. It is so with anger too. Anger can be turned into clamor, irritability, revenge and wars. Our sinful nature can capitalize on our anger. It can internalize our anger, so that we translate “I didn’t like this thing” to “It happened because I don’t deserve good things”. Anger can be corrupted and internalized to reside in us as suicidal thoughts, a feeling of guilt and inferiority, and self-tormenting hatred for peace. Anger can be dangerous! When Jonah internalized his anger, he was willing to die. He was not going to kill anyone, but he was angry to death.

‘Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!”’ (Jonah 4:9, NKJV)

The fact that we are not killing people in anger does not make us any better if we are angry to death. If we have internalized our anger into self-hatred, we are still hating a person created in the image of God. If we have internalized our anger into baseless guilt-tripping, we have borne false witness against God’s child. If we have owned a monumental displeasure and disappointment, so that we feel underserving of good things, we have rejected the blessing of God. And even if the only person who feels the brunt of our anger is our bleeding selves, we have acted wrongly. We must repent of all such dangerous angers; those that pull the trigger on others, and those that have directed the dark barrel to our own heads.

Our sinful nature, once again, calls for very stringent management of all emotions – including anger. This, we have said, does not happen by demonizing the emotions. We need to acknowledge them, keep an eye on them, and use them rightly, not wrongly. Anger can lead us to make very unthinkable and unfathomable decisions. But the fact that we can feel angry is not the problem. It is our sin-clouded judgment. Therefore, whenever you are angry, add good reasoning to your strong feeling.

‘And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
So the Lord said to Cain, “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.” Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.’ (Genesis 4:3-8, NKJV)

Anger can also be directed outward to others. I think Cain was right to be unhappy about God’s rejection of his sacrifice. He was right to be displeased about the fact that God was displeased. He should be displeased. He was right to be disappointed. He must be disappointed. That has a semblance with anger. Doesn’t it? Have you ever been angry at yourself when things did not go well? That morally neutral feeling of strong dissatisfaction and disappointment is what we have defined anger to be. Working with that definition, Cain’s anger was not strange after all.

Cain did not manage this anger well. God’s assessment was that sin laid at Cain’s door. Sin was ready to take advantage of Cain’s anger. This anger should have led him to say, “Sorry, LORD. How can I do better next time?” He could have decided to learn from Abel how to offer pleasing sacrifices. But sin was waiting for an opportunity to use this emotion.

God addressed his internalization of the anger by saying, in effect, “if you had done the right thing, you would be accepted.” In other words, God explained that this is not to say that I hate you. God said, in effect, it was not because Abel is a better human than you. If you do well, you will be accepted. You just didn’t pass this time. You can learn how to please Me and I will be pleased if you do what is right.

Is that not what God said? God was teaching Abel about his emotion. His emotion indicated that something was wrong. And God said, the wrong was that you did wrong; but you can do well. If you do well, you will be accepted. Let your anger indicate a need for change. Don’t let the embarrassment define you.

Now, because Cain did not understand his anger or manage it well even internally, he directed it against his brother Abel. Anger does not only harm the angry person. Others feel the heat, and the very unlucky ones are burnt to death. Cain, after failing the internal anger battle, opened the door to sin. There is a point at which sin comes in to anger. Again, this means that anger is not the sin. At the time God spoke to Cain, he was very angry and sad. Sin was at his door, seeking to overpower him. He had the opportunity to rule over sin by getting his perspectives right. God gave him the correct perspectives by which his anger could be positively employed for progress. At this point, Cain was angry, and the actual act of sin was only a temptation. Maybe he had not yet identified the sinful thought creeping into his mind. But God, foreseeing the temptation, forewarned him.

May we receive such guidance and illumination to the tendencies of our emotions. But may we also walk right in God’s light. There is a point where sin creeps into our hearts to contaminate our justifiable disappointment and displeasure. May we not be caught by surprise.

When sin crept in, Cain’s dissatisfaction didn’t only say that he was a problem. It pointed a finger at Abel. How does the rejection of Cain’s sacrifice concern Abel? But that’s it! Anger, when misunderstood, is very dangerous.

God’s questions to Cain are a great starting point for anyone who is angry. “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?” Whenever you are angry, ask Why. And be sure to get the correct answer. A wrongly interpreted anger is very injurious to you and your surrounding. Cain was angry and unhappy because he was rejected. He was rejected because he didn’t do the right thing (not because he is hated and not because of Abel). If he got that answer correctly, then God says in the next verse, “If you do well, will you not be accepted?” In other words, this anger concerns your own failure. Cain rejected this insight from God and directed his anger at Abel. Abel lost his life and Cain lost his chance. Abel had a chance to repent and offer a better sacrifice that God would accept. He missed it!

Anger misapplied is a lesson missed. Anger is an alarm system. When you feel angry, something is wrong. The signal must be properly diagnosed. In other words, Anger must be understood. Why are you angry? And if you know why you are angry, we can now solve the problem. Anger can hide behind your many excuses. You may say, “I am angry because he disrespected me.” Meanwhile, the reason may be that you can’t understand why he spoke to you as a co-equal. Maybe it’s your ego and not their fault. Anger may even hide behind actual offenses that are not the root cause. Anger can make you begin to tackle every other thing, except the real thing. Jonah became angry at a plant but the root of that anger was God’s mercy for Nineveh. Anger from not being appreciated at work can be screaming at your wife at home. Anger must be properly diagnosed.

Cain was blessed to hear God even in his anger. What if he had repented and said, “Forgive me, Lord. How can I make it right?” We all may still hear God speak to us while we are angry. Through our conscience or through His Word, wisdom speaks through our anger. By patient listening, we may hear. In hastiness or pride, we will ignore the opportunity for good and let sin through the door. Cain killed Abel. For what?

The case of Cain clearly teaches us to be careful of anger. We should not internalize anger nor direct it negatively. There are a few more astonishments or warnings concerning anger and how to deal with it.

This has been an interesting time in God’s Word, enriching our souls with strength and health. Let’s meet in the next post.

Pious D. Serwonu
December 11, 2023.