DEVOTION//God's love and God's anger
God’s love is sometimes expressed in (what we might consider) unconventional ways. Last month we focused on God’s love combined with God’s hatred. Next time we will see how God’s love is shown through his jealousy. Today we take a look at God’s love displayed in his anger.
Human anger
The problem with anger, of course, is that it is fraught with emotion in the hearts of human beings. It is rarely contained and it is highly volatile. A person might yell in anger, hit in anger, curse in anger, or brood, connive, and take revenge in anger. Rarely can a person – even a mature Christian – control their anger so completely that it is actually thoroughly God-pleasing. Anger might be initially aroused for a legitimate reason, but oftentimes it will linger far too long and show itself in ways that have nothing to do with love.
God’s anger
God himself gets plenty angry throughout the pages of Scripture. But his anger is always an extension of his love, even at those times it seems just the opposite.
Throughout history, God “burned with anger” at his Old Testament Israelites when they constructed false gods (Exodus 32:9-11), when they complained about his plans and provisions (Numbers 11:1), and when they abandoned him altogether (Judges 2:11-14), just to name a few. It seems as if God was always angry with his own people. His anger was even revealed in severe punishment on many of those occasions. Plagues, supernatural disasters, and enemy nations demonstrated how angry God was at their insolence and rebellion.
Loving anger
But God is not a surly God. He is not a God who cannot control his temper. He is and always will be a God of love. In fact, he was so angry at times because he loved them so much. And so God never let his anger get out of control. That doesn’t mean he let the guilty go unpunished of course. “God is a righteous Judge, a God who expresses his wrath every day” (Psalm 7:11). But when it came to his people, his goal was always that they would repent and turn back to him.
“I will not accuse forever, nor will I always be angry,” God says. “I was enraged by his sinful greed; I punished him, and hid my face in anger, yet he kept on in his willful ways. I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him” (Isaiah 57:16-18). God’s very nature is to forgive his people. It is his nature to love them. “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime” (Psalm 30:4).
This month I would recommend Psalm 85 for your extended learning, as the Sons of Korah interweave God’s anger and his love in poetic form.
Source: Matthew Frey. Pastor Matthew Frey serves Living Word Lutheran Church & Preschool in Montrose, CO, and as chairman of the Colorado District Mission Board. Four Branches (January 2019)
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