I Samuel 11:6
“Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul mightily when he heard these words, and he became very angry.”
Anger is an uncomfortable, yet common emotion. Rarely does one attribute it to the Lord, yet it appears that is the case in this verse. The context says that a people approached another group and asked for peace. The response was “only if you allow us to gouge out an eye from everyone”. This is a punishing request. Saul hears it and gets angry.
Is it ok for us to get angry? Yes, but it all depends what’s done with it. It’s appropriate when boundaries aren’t crossed. No one can be abused or disregarded. Even if the other one started the abuse. We were angry because lines were crossed. To cross them in response is only to start a war.
If we were asked to describe anger, many would paint pictures of rage and yelling. Sometimes the description might be worse. These are inappropriate. What’s also wrong is unforgiveness. Some may take this anger and keep it as their manner. They could ignore or be harsh to the object of their anger. None of these are God’s ways.
What are we to do with anger? We are to resolve the issue that produced it. This involves talking to the other party. It shouldn’t be done in rage. Galatians 6:1 tells us to do this in a spirit of gentleness. So it’s possible to be angry and gentle.
How can we be in control of anger? It seems to be like a fire out of control. We address it before it gets too hot. The phrase bury and burn is a recipe for anger getting out of control. It can’t be ignored. The pressure and results of unresolved anger harm us. Proverbs 14:30 says, “A tranquil heart is life to the body, But passion is rottenness to the bones.” Unresolved anger hurts us emotionally and is detrimental to our health.
We are to do our best to resolve it and commit the results to the Lord. We can’t change another’s heart. Sometimes there’s a repair and other times we need to distance ourselves. That’s sad, but is reality.
The Lord put the potential for anger in us to act as a warning light. It flashes when there’s a problem. It’s disappointing, but important.
Lord, thank You that You gave us anger to assist us. Help us to manage it properly.