Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 5:6-13 (day seven)
I was very angry. vs 6a
Anger in and of itself is not sinful. Christ modeled this for us in clearing out the Temple and multiple times with the Pharisees. There are things in this world that break the heart of God, and for those things, we have a right to feel anger. Exploitation, injustice, unrepentant sin, idolatry. It is comforting to know that God condones controlled anger of such things. What God does not condone is a hasty response to anger. That is when anger becomes sinful.
Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,
but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. Proverbs 14:29
Anger, when controlled and consulted, is an attribute of wisdom. In recent days I have seen much anger in the world. Some is warranted, some is driven by hate, most is not controlled. What about you? Have you been angry? How have you responded to anger?
One last word: This week I was watching Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood with my sons and a song came on that resonated with me, “If you feel so mad that you want to ROAR, take a deep breath, and count to four!” Nehemiah, followed this as he took a moment and consulted with himself (and the Lord). So how about for us, if you feel so mad that you want to ROAR, take a deep breath, and take it to the Lord!
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