We're All Angry.

God’s anger is different than ours, not categorically but morally.

1. God’s anger is jealous. (Deut 6:5) It desires what belongs to Him. Our anger is envious (James 4:1). It desires what does not belong to us.

2. God’s anger is slow. (Deut. 34:6) Anger is not God’s natural disposition. He is not capricious. We are quick to anger, ready to pick a fight. (James 1:19)

3. God’s anger is constructive (Isaiah 54:7-8). God’s anger meant to shake us into reconciliation. Our anger is destructive, ready to build walls and create divisions (James 3:6).

Paul says, “Be angry and do not sin.” (Ephesians 4:26). But my anger is so unlike God’s anger, which is why the second half is key: “do not let the sun go down on your anger”. Or as the Psalmist puts it, “Ponder silently on your beds” (Psalm 4:4.) It’s unrealistic to say, “Do not be angry.” But it’s essential for us to ponder in our hearts: “How much of this anger is like God’s anger?”

Often, the answer for me is: “Not much.”