The Fires of Anger

Saturday, September 07, 2019

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.”

Daniel 3:17–19

The story goes that in the latter part of his reign, Peter the Great of Russia took steps to make life better for the poor of his kingdom. A law was passed that said if a nobleman beat or badly mistreated the people under his care, he would have a caretaker from the government placed over his estate as he clearly was not qualified to lead. Yet in anger Peter the Great struck his own gardener, who died a few days later from the injury. When he heard that the man was dead Peter said, “Alas! I have civilized my own subjects and I have conquered other nations. Yet I have not been able to civilize or conquer myself.”

Anger is not always sinful. Jesus demonstrated this after He healed the man with a withered hand. “And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other” (Mark 3:5). That was anger for the right reason. However, much of our anger is not directed to defend the truths of God from attack, but directed at real or perceived offenses against us personally. This is the dangerous anger that must be brought under control.

Today's Growth Principle: 

If we allow the fires of anger to burn unchecked, destruction will always result.