04 July 2006
Question
Psalm 2:12 says that God's anger flares up in an instant. It is common in many Scriptures to read that God is slow to become angry. Things are rarely "either/or" in God's character, so I'm not about to assume that David was wrong about God's character in either expression of God's anger. I'll be interested to know, though, what people think about these two descriptions of God. I believe they both depict God completely. Still, how can a person make sense of a God whose anger is slow yet can flare up in an instant? (Note: If you choose to respond, do so freely. I do reserve the right to comment back, as a blogger always will.)
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2 comments:
I don't really understand at all how both of those could be true, but I agree with you that they must be. I'd be interested to know more of your insights on it.
No takers? That's surprising to me. Okay, I'll take the first plunge.
God is slow to anger, but His anger flares up. I think we can all attest to God's slow anger. Let's be really honest here: we all deserve a worse life than what we have. Even if yours isn't that great, you deserve worse. After all, as members of sinful humanity, we were all the reason why Jesus had to die on teh cross, becoming our sin (so to speak). Our sin meant that the very One by whom all things were created had to suffer a turmultuous death unlike any I could imagine. Yet, the Creator longs for us. He draws us close to Himself. he said to His unfaithful children through the prophets, "Repent and turn to me! I will relent from sending calamity because I am full of abounding love and mercy, slow to become angry!"
As for His anger that quickly flares up, we don't have a whole lot of experience with that. We haven't had many things happen in our lives that point to the acts of an angry God. We focus on His slow anger because that's all we've seen. Remember Achan though? God was trying to destroy the Canaanites completely under Joshua's leadership. Achan took some plunder from Ai, allowing the Canaanite legacy to live on. God gave warning to the whole Israelite community, asking for repentance (slow anger). Then He commanded Achan, his family, and their possessions to be destroyed after Achan was chosen by lot (flared up anger).
Jeroboam separated from Judah, according to God's plan. God instructed Jeroboam to be faithful and to lead Israel well. Jeroboam did not. God sent a prophet to Jeroboam with a stern warning (slow anger). Jeroboam tried to attack the prophet, thinking that would silence God's message. God made Jeroboam's outstretched hand leprous (flared up anger).
Ananias and his wife went to the church in Jerusalem with a large sum of money. They intended to tell the church that the money was the full profit from the sale of their home, even though they kept some back. The Holy Spirit prompted Peter to ask Ananias specifically about the money, giving him a chance to be honest before the Lord (slow anger). Ananias lied to Peter and to the Holy Spirit, tainting the gift. Ananias fell dead on the spot, and the events repeated with Sapphira (flared up anger).
The point isn't that I have the answer. (It's why I asked for help.) The common denominator here, though, is that God is slow to anger, even with people who are blatantly opposing Him. His anger seems to flare up when He comes face-to-face with people who oppose Him to His face. It seems that God's anger flares up when people deliberately choose sin in a direct encounter with the Lord. Sure, His anger is slow, but those who essentially slap God in the face are walking a dangerous line. (Interestingly enough, the Lord still gives some people who slap Him in the face a second chance. Evfen when His anger has flared up, a humble and contrite heart will slow that anger right up.)
Okay, how are we so far?
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