The Lord's Anger

 We don't really like to think about the Lord's anger. We like to think about His love instead. We want to think that since "God is love" He would never act in anger against us. However, that is not true. God does get angry with sin and with sinful people. He does express His anger, and that should make us have a healthy fear of the Lord, so that we do His will, and we do not decide to practice sin and unrighteousness.

Jeremiah made us aware of the seriousness of the Lord's anger. We need to hear what he said and never forget it. (Jeremiah 23:19) "Look. The Lord's anger bursts out like a storm, a whirlwind that swirls down on the heads of the wicked." Just like a thunderstorm bursts out with lightning, thunder, and heavy rain, the Lord's anger can come in a moment, and we have no way to stop it or fight against Him. Let's make sure we understand this.

It is wrong for us, as humans, to get angry and express that anger against others. We are commanded to put away all anger. (Ephesians 4:31) We are warned that the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. (James 1:20) Therefore, we must not let the fact that God gets angry make us think that it is alright for us to express our anger. Sometimes, we can express righteous anger against sin, but we must be very careful about that, too. Only God can express anger in a righteous manner to accomplish His will every time. 

He pours out His anger on the wicked. The word "wicked" refers to those who are sinning. It applies to those who have not trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior. When they sin, God is angry and punishes them, so they will see they need to repent.(Romans 1:18) However, believers can also be sinful and receive the effects of God's anger, like Ananias and Saphira. (Acts 5:1-11) We even see it when God caused the believers in Corinth to be weak, sick, and even to die when they did not respect the Lord's Supper and practice it in the right way.(I Corinthians 11:30) Therefore, we need to stay away from sin and follow the Lord fully to ensure that we are not subject to His anger.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 24-28.