2 KINGS 17 STUBBORNNESS & IDOLATRY PROVOKE GOD’S ANGER

April 23

2 KINGS 17

 13 Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.”14 But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the Lord their God. 15 They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do like them. 16 And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. 17 And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. 18 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only.19 Judah also did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the customs that Israel had introduced. 20 And the Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until he had cast them out of his sight. – 2 Kings 17:13-20

2 KINGS 17 STUBBORNNESS & IDOLATRY PROVOKE GOD’S ANGER

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When the Lord has chosen you as one of his children

He will give you the ability to follow and please him

But when your flesh and love for the world overtakes you

You will probably succumb to the flesh and turn against God

You will become persistent in getting your longings gratified

It will lead you to idols that you will obsess to chase and satisfy

The rebellion and chasing idols will surely provoke God’s anger

Because he is holy and steadfast in his love, you will receive his justice.

The account in this book of Kings presents the story of the provocation of the Israelites to God’s anger. The Lord has sent many prophets and judges to Israel and Judah to warn them not to follow the footsteps of their wicked ancestors, but they seem to be deaf to these admonitions. The following sins that they did were explicitly enumerated in verses 14-17 which provoked the wrath of God.

·       They didn’t listen to the warnings and continued to be stubborn and didn’t believe in God

·       They despised the laws that God has made for them to obey and broke the covenant

·       They chased pagan idols and followed the practices of the pagan nations around them

·       They abandoned all the commandments of God and built images for Asherah and Baal

·       They burned their own children for offerings and used divination

Doesn’t our current world practice these sins as well as they did in the Old Testament time?

REFLECTION

·       How does our world today provoke God’s wrath? What sins do we commit similar to theirs?

JONAH 4 THEATRICS FROM THE PROUD, BITTER & ANGRY MAN

April 22

JONAH 4

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?”5 Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. 6 Now the Lord God appointed a plantand made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” 9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” 10 And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?” – Jonah 4:1-11

JONAH 4 THEATRICS FROM THE PROUD, BITTER & ANGRY MAN

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When the root of bitterness and anger entwine it craves attention

And it hosts a pity party with much drama, theatrics and emotions

It invites many guests to watch its longing for grandiosity

It focuses on the offence done to them so they can wallow in pity

The bitter person makes a big deal out of trivial things

They cannot see what is behind their irrational thinking

Because they are so focused on their “self-preservation”

It becomes impossible for them to receive Christ’s salvation.

In this chapter of the book of Jonah, we are given a glimpse of his character. It clearly gives us all sinners a picture of our fallen nature, the selfish self-centered inclination. In the previous chapters, we are given the storyline of this offensive anger of Jonah. He was given instruction by God to give a warning to the Ninevites who were so wicked to repent or else they would be destroyed.  But instead of following God’s order, he turns the other way and went to Tarshish. And God brought a whale to swallow him so that he could reflect on his actions, but it was also a foreshadowing of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Later on, he was out of the whale and still for the second time, he didn’t follow God’s order. He was enraged. What was he angry about? He was saving his reputation as a prophet that God will not punish them and he will look like a fool since he presumed that they are so bad that they cannot repent.

REFLECTION

  • What are the sins that led to Jonah’s anger? Why was he so dramatic about all these?

PROVERBS 10 HATRED STIRS UP STRIFE

April 21

PROVERBS 10

11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,    but love covers all offenses.
13 On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,
    but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.
14 The wise lays up knowledge,  but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.

                                                                                            – Proverbs 10:11-14

PROVERBS 10 HATRED STIRS UP STRIFE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As servants of the Lord, we are to follow the law of love

All those who commit to Christ follow and obey this law

Believers are called out of the world that has self-focused mindset

Because they are now a new creation since Christ set them free

While the world embraces a view that has partiality and hatred

All believers are called to shine the light of God and love these haters

Those who hate much will reap a harvest of conflict, strife and division

They wouldn’t know what peace is like because they do not know Christ.

In these sayings, we are led to look at one of the main causes of strife. The writer identified that source as “hatred.” One of the definitions from the bible I have gathered from some sources defines it as active hostility/malice which is a profound aversion or malicious desire to cause harm, often characterized by resentment and bitterness. The Hebrew word for hatred is “sane” (pronounced saw-NAY) often used in the Old Testament to indicate intense dislike or a lack of affection such as in Genesis 29:31 where Leah was “unloved” or “hated.” Can you imagine being hated? What does it do to the recipient of such disdain? I can testify to what that does to someone who constantly receives such intense hostility. It is a mixture of a state of fear, insecurity and revolt inside me. I have this stirring inside me to fight back and prove to that hater that I have value and that I am a human and need not be minimized or cancelled out. It stirs anger because of being looked down upon.

This is exactly what the writer was saying here when he said that hatred stirs up strife. The other half of that phrase says “love covers all offense.” In 1 John 4:8, it says “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” From this verse we can now conclude that those who are haters do not know God or else they won’t have that hostility and malice against anyone. This saying is a good reminder for us all Christians to be watchful of those things and people we hate since God created all things.

REFLECTION

·       Why do you think hatred fills the hearts of some people? How do you respond to this hatred?

PROVERBS 30 PERSISTENT ANGER LEADS TO DISCORD

April 20

PROVERBS 30

32 If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,
    or if you have been devising evil,
    put your hand on your mouth.
33 For pressing milk produces curds,
    pressing the nose produces blood,
    and pressing anger produces strife. – Proverbs 30:32-33

PROVERBS 30 PERSISTENT ANGER LEADS TO DISCORD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When one cannot process the reasons for their anger

It will continue to persist and have dysregulated retorts

It may manifest as little annoyances or irritations

And may grow into hidden implosions or immense explosions

The more anger is covertly hidden, the more destructive it is

Its roots get deeper into the heart and destroy the spirit

Do not be foolish to allow the evil devises crafted by the world

Confront your anger by sitting still and meditating on God’s word.

This chapter of Proverbs written by Agur is a reminder of the importance of the word of God as he said in Proverbs 30:5-6 “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.6 Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.” It is reiterated in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 when Paul says “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Agur warns us to guard our mouths so that no evil will come out of it or no lies that are propagated to distort the word of God. He cautions us to stop devising evil against others and to watch that what we sow, we will also reap.

Agur warns us also about the persistence of anger leading to discord, disunity and eventually breaking down of relationships. He cited very practical ways how consequences follow anything we sow in verse 33. He shows us the inevitability of cause-and-effect relationship between stirring up anger and producing conflict. Barnes’ comment on this verse as “Churning … wringing … forcing – In the Hebrew text it is one and the same word. “The pressure of milk produces curds, the pressure of the nose produces blood, the pressure of wrath (i. e., brooding over and, as it were, condensing it) produces strife.” This is probably why we are told in Proverbs 15:1 that a soft answer turns away wrath while a harsh word stirs up anger. If one continues to use a lot of harsh words, there is surely an expectation of division, disunity and conflict which leads to more heated arguments and broken relationships.

REFLECTION

·       How can we stop anger at its core? Why is it important to do this?

PROVERBS 37 REFRAIN FROM ANGER & WORRYING

April 19

PROVERBS 37

7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
    fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
    over the man who carries out evil devices!

8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
    though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. 

                                                                          – Proverbs 37:7-11

PROVERBS 37 REFRAIN FROM ANGER & WORRYING

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be still before him

There is no more reason for you to worry and fret over anything

Because he is the source of all and Maker of everything

He knows what you need and give only what will make you right

Refrain from worrying about anything; it only reflects mistrust

When you constantly fuss, you are not relying on Christ

Be still and know that the Lord is in control and is your provider

Anxiety and fretting will only lead you to more frustration and anger.

Many people think that worrying is just part of life. Some even think that if you love someone, it is okay to worry about them. But when we worry about something that we don’t have control over, are we not trying to overstep or violate the boundary that God has put between divine and human? We do not see everything that God sees because he is supernatural and we only see the natural. When we worry about our loved ones, are we not forgetting that God loves them more than we do?

Matthew 6:25 says 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  And in verse 34 of the same chapter, Matthew says 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. In 1 Peter 5:7 it encourages us believers to cast all our anxieties upon God because He cares for us. So even if the bible does not explicitly say worry is a sin, it clearly shows a lack of true faith. When we are overly worried and anxious, we are taking God out of the picture who is All-seeing and All-knowing. We are trying to take control of things we have no control over. Isn’t that also a form of idolatry? When we worry, we are trying to solve our issues that sometimes can be used by God for us to lean and depend more on him than on ourselves. It gives us a reminder that we don’t know much, but God does.

REFLECTION

  • Do you think worrying leads to frustration, anxiety and anger? Is it a sin to worry?

PROVERBS 29 A FOOL GIVES FULL VENT TO ANGER

April 18

PROVERBS 29

5 A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.
6 An evil man is ensnared in his transgression,
    but a righteous man sings and rejoices.
7 A righteous man knows the rights of the poor;
    a wicked man does not understand such knowledge.
8 Scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath.
9 If a wise man has an argument with a fool,
    the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.
10 Bloodthirsty men hate one who is blameless and seek the life of the upright.
11 A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.

                                                                       – Proverbs 29:5-11

PROVERBS 29 A FOOL GIVES FULL VENT TO ANGER

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If you hear flattery given to you, be wary of their traps

They are not honest and they usually expect something back

The fool intends to plot a provocation to get a reaction

Because of their insecurity, they want to elicit argumentation

A foolish person gives full vent to their emotions especially anger

They have no control over their insecurities and their temper.

In these following sayings, Solomon warns us of the flatterer, the evil man, the scoffers, the bloodthirsty and the angry man. He cautions us to be watchful of those who may seemingly shower us with compliments that aren’t really true. They expect something back when they give it to others because it is a platform to get their supply of attention and adoration in payment for such praise they gave you. It is a trap for you to see them as good so they can be given adulation.

Solomon paints a picture of the wicked person. They are never content or joyful. They constantly look for something more than what they already have. They envy others and crave for what they don’t possess, making them so depressed and anxious. The evil person is very discriminating, oppressive and loves to do injustice to other people especially those whom they look down upon or do not live up to their standards.

The scoffers and the bloodthirsty have violent and murderous tendencies making them very dangerous towards anyone. They are always there to kill someone else’s person’s character if not murder them physically. They create much chaos, fear and control to those around them.

Let’s focus on the angry man. You will easily spot them when they are around. They are reactionary and easily provoked with even just a small thing. They want all attention to themselves. They love drama.

REFLECTION

·       Share some insights why you think the angry man gives full vent to their anger.

EPHESIANS 4 EXPRESS ANGER WITHOUT SINNING

April 17

EPHESIANS 4

25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. – Ephesians 4:25-32

EPHESIANS 4 EXPRESS ANGER WITHOUT SINNING

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you are wronged and abused, be angry but do not sin

Remember that God is your vindicator; be quiet and be still

Look inside your own heart and examine if there is any bitterness

All forms of bitterness can make you react unrighteously

Anger is to be used to expose injustice and oppression

It is never just a form of venting or outward expression

Be on guard and don’t let anyone stir up malice in you

Respond instead of react so you don’t give Satan a foothold.

It seems impossible to be angry and not blow up. We all have a propensity to anger. Because of our inherited sins from Adam and Eve, we became self-centered and pleasure-seeking humans.  Being able to calmly say that you are angry is not an easy thing to do, especially if one doesn’t know Christ. Without the fear of the Lord, we will always follow our human tendencies.

What is the cause of human anger? The root of most anger is pride. We look up at ourselves as the center of the universe and get mad when we don’t get the full attention of those around us. If we were humble like Jesus, we wouldn’t have the inclination to give in to sinful anger.  This is why Jesus became human. Even though he is divine, he gave it up to become human to serve as an example for us to imitate.  According to gotquestions.org this act, often called the kenosis (Greek for “emptying”), demonstrates Jesus’ obedience to God and his role as a servant to humanity, culminating in his death on the cross.

In this letter of Paul to the church in Ephesus, he reminds the believers to get rid of all falsehood and speak only what is true. Even if the truth would anger us or the one we are telling it to, we must be honest about what our convictions are and align it to God’s truth. If we speak of our anger in a gracious manner, we will avoid exploding in rage that may hurt someone else. Even as we confront lies and evil, we still need to follow the humble example of Jesus who was silent all throughout the abuses he received during his passion at Calvary. He was like a lamb, quiet even to the point of being slaughtered.

REFLECTION

  • Why is it important not to hold back anger and express it graciously?

ECCLESIASTES 7 ANGER LIVES IN THE FOOL’S HEART

April 16

ECCLESIASTES 7

5 It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools.
6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot,
    so is the laughter of the fools; this also is vanity.
7 Surely oppression drives the wise into madness, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning,
    and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
9 Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.

                                                                       – Ecclesiastes 7:5-9

ECCLESIASTES 7 ANGER LIVES IN THE FOOL’S HEART

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

The wise are quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to irritation

But the fool does not listen and reacts quickly to slight provocations

If you bring an opinion to the wise, they’ll have open ears to listen

But if you tell the fool anything, they will minimize your viewpoint

If you are easily angered, people see you as foolish and insolent

If you are humble and listen, you will be viewed as wise and prudent.

In these wise sayings from Solomon, we get a comparison of how fools and wise people navigate in this corrupt world we live in. They have two opposite reactions to certain situations. The difference comes from the wise who acknowledge God and the fool who does not believe that there is a God. The bible tells us that God is wisdom and if you fear the Lord, you have wisdom.  You are aware that he is the Maker of all things and he made all humans in his image. Knowing that you are an image-bearer of God gives you assurance and confidence so you have no fears. On the opposite spectrum, the fool denies God’s existence and so he doesn’t know the truth about his creation. He focuses on making himself the creator of all that he desires and that he does what he wants. Now that we see the two opposing beliefs of the wise and the fool, let’s dive into the following verses mentioned here to clearly see what these manifestations are.

In verse 5, we see the importance of listening to the correction of the wise rather than listening to the shallow and empty chatter of the fool. There is nothing that you can gain from the fool’s mouth because they are empty. While the wise will give you solutions or a way out of certain situations that truly works.

Verse 9 clearly differentiates the fool from the wise in how they react to situations and people. The fool quickly reacts and easily gets impatient, frustrated or mad especially when attention is drawn away from them or that they aren’t the hero or main focal point of the conversation. The wise listens and is patient to fully hear and see the bigger picture of the situation. They are teachable and responsive but not reactive. They know how to control their tongues and reactions because they are not focused on their insecurities but have a confidence and assurance that they have nothing to prove.

REFLECTION

·       Why do you think anger lives in the wicked and fool’s heart? What makes them angry?

COLOSSIANS 3 ACTS THAT PROVOKE GOD’S WRATH

April 15

COLOSSIANS 3

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you:sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old selfwith its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. 12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. – Colossians 3:5-15

COLOSSIANS 3 ACTS THAT PROVOKE GOD’S WRATH

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When God chose you as his child, you were granted regeneration

It is not your own doing that you are going through transformation

Jesus took God’s wrath on you so you can now be reconciled with God

Christ gave you a new creation in order for you to walk in humility and love

Through Christ, you can give up habitual sins and have a life of service

The lamb of God took away all your old tendencies to love yourself

So put to death all what is demonic, ungodly, unspiritual and earthly

Humble yourself before the Lord so you won’t provoke God’s anger.

In this letter of Paul to the Colossian church, he wants the believers to walk away from their old life which was already renewed when Christ died for them on the cross. He warns them of the aftermath if they do not put off their old lives and continue living in sin while they claim that they are believers. He gave them a list of that old nature that they so love that stir the wrath of God in their lives. He calls them earthly, in other words, it is a life that follows the world. James talks about this also in 3:15-16 where he talks about human wisdom driven by self-ambition and envy as earthly, sensual and demonic which leads to disorder and evil.

Some of these natural and earthly demonic tendencies that stirs God’s righteous anger are:

·       Sexual immorality, impurity, passion, adultery, fornication, orgies, drunkenness

·       Envy, desires and covetousness leading to idolatry, anger, malice, slander, murder, debauchery

·       Lying to one another, malice, obscene talk, gossip and false beliefs and deception

It is a sad fate to watch our world become so oblivious of what stirs God’s wrath as we participate in these wicked acts. Let us heed Paul’s caution for us to put off all these and put on Christ.

REFLECTION

·       What are we to do with the prevalence of wickedness that stirs God’s wrath as believers?

ROMANS 1 GOD’S WRATH ON SUPPRESSION OF TRUTH

April 14

ROMANS 1

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So, they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. – Romans 1:18-28

ROMANS 1 GOD’S WRATH ON SUPPRESSION OF TRUTH

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As you learn more and more about the gospel of truth

You will know the hatred of God towards what is unrighteous

These wicked people may think that they got away with evil

Not knowing that God’s wrath has come upon them already

When they worship the creatures that God created instead of him

They are rebelling against God’s goodness and choosing to sin

When they suppress the truth, they do not acknowledge God

They are saying that there is no God by making their own little gods.

Paul clearly teaches the Roman church the most wicked sins that provoke God’s wrath. It is ungodliness, unrighteousness and suppression of the truth. Paul reminds the believers that the righteous anger of God will inevitably be experienced with these acts. Ungodliness is a disregard for God while unrighteousness is sins against others. Suppression of truth entails exchanging the glory of God for material things, satisfying their pleasures and a life centered on themselves. In the Old Testament, we can physically experience the wrath of God when wicked people were annihilated in a flood and only Noah’s family survived. We saw how the Egyptians were plagued because of their ungodliness and injustice to the Israelites. But in our modern age, many people don’t know that they are already judged while they are still alive. They are left in their foolishness and a debased mind. They live dead and fruitless lives.

REFLECTION

·       What are some ways that God’s wrath is clearly manifested in wicked people?