Anger Under Two Laws | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Anger Under Two Laws | Previous Challenge Entry
By Rhett Vorster
08/05/07
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES

The Law of Moses talks about anger. Abraham pleads with God to spare a city, if at least thirty souls are found that please the Lord. He had already asked God to spare it for forty, but he was not sure there would be that many. He felt God might get angry at him for arguing down the number, for asking, even sounding like he might be demanding, mercy. O heavens, would God get made at me for asking if ten are found to be worthy? After all, am I implying that God is unfair or that he does not know his own creation? Surely these could be Abraham's questions.

Certainly, by man's standards, Joseph had reason to be very angry. His brothers sold him into slavery, bound for Egypt, because they were jealous of him. Now he was in a position to mete out revenge fueled by anger. He recognized that God had used their weakness to make him strong, thus defusing the anger of hate in himself. So he assured them that they must not be angry with themselves because of their dastardly deed.

Moses got angry at Eleazar and Ithamar, his religious servants, for not following holy orders.

Moses blamed the nation of Israel for causing him, their own leader, to be included into the national damnation of not being allowed to enter the land of Canaan. Moses credited this judgment to the Lord's anger. Caleb was the only one among them all who could claim for himself, "Mazel tov!" (good luck).

At Mount Sinai the people of Israel made the God of Israel angry. The Lord was also angry with Aaron, Moses right-hand man. All this anger leads to what I call the Second Law.

I speak of the Law of Jesus. This royal law is an amendment to the first. The first says if anyone commits murder then that person will be brought to trial. Jesus redefined Moses' legislation. Now, whoever is angry with his brother will be brought to trial!

To illustrate this, one day Rabbi Jesus told a parable, stating that a master got so angry of being rejected by his guests that he told his servant to go out into the streets and bring the poor, crippled, blind, and lame to dine instead of the ungrateful guests.

The Rabbi went on to tell another story. It is the story of The Lost Son. When the lost son came back to his father, the older brother got angry and so stayed outside the house because forgiveness and mercy were not on his to-do list that day.

John rounds out the anger management course found in our New Testament "Torah" (the gospel law books). The apostle John informs us that the Hebrew authorities were angry with the so-called rebellious Rabbi because they would rather see a boy circumsized on the Sabbath than to see a man made well on the Sabbath. Jesus plainly said they must change their point of view; what is true is greater than what is external.

Are you angry? Place these instances of anger into your heart, and true standards mingled with anger will reign over external standards mixed with anger. The anger of love will cause you to burn the bridges which make way for the anger of hate, and loving anger will glorify God and bless men.

PREVIOUS ENTRY | NEXT ENTRY
SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY FOR THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE

The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.

If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE

JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.