Anger: The Raging Obstacle to Obedience

Fifty years ago a veteran war pilot, Lieutenant Colonel William Smith, was flying a B-25 from Massachusets to Newark, New Jersey. The flight was uneventful up to the point he approached New York. The tower signaled heavy fog and low-flying clouds. They advised him to steer clear of the downtown area and land at La Guardia airport in New York City, just a few miles from Newark. The pilot thanked the tower and kept going. As you might suspect, the plane dipped just below the cloud cover long enough to see the eerie sight of downtown skyscrapers dead ahead. Unable to pull up in time, Smith's plane collided with the 78th floor of the Empire State Building. Not only were Smith and his two passengers killed, but so were eleven people in the building. Another twenty-five were injured by the explosive impact including a lady who suffered "a seventy-six story free fall when a piece of the plane tore through the elevator's cables" (MacArthur, John. Grace to You Monthly Letter. May 17, 1999. p. 1.).

Why did this tragedy happen? Smith misplaced his trust in the tower choosing to trust in his own ability to rectify the situation. Perhaps he was angry that the tower thought he was not a good enough pilot to navigate through the city. After all, he was a decorated war hero, even a combat pilot. His misplaced trust caused him to act in defiance to the tower whose very job was to guide and protect him.

Don't we treat God the same way, particularly when we are angry? While His very commands are designed to guide and protect us, we angrily defy them bringing devastating consequences for ourselves and those around us. What is the resolution to this? How can we avoid dishonoring God through angry outbursts?

Scripture Passage: Numbers 20:1-13

Main point:
Anger causes you to misplace your trust in God by trusting in your own ability to rectify a situation. The end result is disobedience which hurts others and treats God as common (irrelevant) rather than holy. Effective prayer -- prayer that forgives others who have hurt you -- causes you to stop and consider God's perspective on the situation giving you the reasons and the power to act obediently even toward those who have hurt you.

Outline:

1. Anger is bound to happen in your life because you live in a fallen world. (Num. 20:1-5)
2. Prayer is a good response to anger but only if it is effective prayer. (Num. 20:6-9)
3. Acting in anger rather than forgiveness causes misplaced trust which dishonors God. (Num. 20:10-13)

Conclusion

1. Anger is bound to happen in your life because you live in a fallen world. (Num. 20:1-5)

Moses was leading a huge group of Hebrew people on a journey to God's Promised Land. Because of their rebellion and unbelief, the people were on a forty-year detour through the desert. They quarreled with Moses, accused him of leading them to their death, complained of starvation, glorified their miserable life in Egypt, and stubbornly refused the grace of God throughout their journey. At one point, Moses lamented to God that he was "not the Mama:"

Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do You tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land You promised on oath to their forefathers? (Num 11:12, NIV) Such is the joy and pain of leadership. People can be great encouragers to their leader or they can be great pains in the neck. God directed them to move to a new site in Kadesh. Moses was pretty worn out by this point in time. His patience was nearing its limit. In chapter 20, the people complain (again) that they have no water. Water is a necessity, especially in a desert area. The need for water is real but, as usual, the children of Israel use it as an excuse to attack Moses. "Why did you bring the LORD's community into this desert, that we and our livestock should die here" (Num. 20:4, NIV). If they are truly "the LORD's community" then surely the LORD will take care of them as He has so faithfully done up to this point! It is enough to drive even the most humble man right into space.

The lack of water and the wicked people are both reflections of a sad reality in which you and I live. This is a fallen world, groaning under the curse on creation by God because of man's sin (Romans 8:19-22). Droughts and desert areas are common. People are selfish and fickle. Diseases and death are in the world all because of mankind's collective sinfulness. When you put sinful people in a cursed creation, they are bound to cause each other problems at some point. You will occasionally get angry at the attitudes and behavior of another.

Moses was no exception. Just as it would have been for you or myself, their personal attack made Moses angry. It is bad enough to be blamed for something unjustly. But they were acting in utter defiance toward God which is far worse. This may have been the proverbial "straw that broke the camel's back" for Moses.

What causes you to reach your limit? How do you respond to situations where you are accused for something you did not do? Understand that these situations are quite common in this world, even among people you have known for years. If you will first accept that fact, and agree that God is the perfect Judge whose commendation you need more than the commendation of people, you will be in a better position to deal with the anger that follows such an accusation. "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness..." (Matthew 6:33, NKJV).

2. Prayer is a good response to anger but only if it is effective prayer. (Num. 20:6-9)

Anger can be such a destructive force in a relationship, especially in marriage or in family relations. It is bad enough when someone you don't know that well makes you angry. But when someone you love dearly does something to rile you up, it hurts that much more. So what do you do when this happens?

Moses and Aaron decided to go to church! Next time your "Snookums" makes you angry, tell him or her you're so angry you need to go to church! If they want to finish the fight they will have to do it in the sanctuary near the baptismal pool! Seriously, Moses and Aaron did go to the Tabernacle because they had to pray. What else could they do when their people rebelled against them with such obstinance and malice?

The LORD responded in quite an unusual way. In stark contrast to Moses' anger, which we will see in verse 10, God calmly gave Moses instructions on how to give the rebellious children of Israel water. He wanted Moses to do it in a fashion that would be startling and point the people to their All-Powerful Creator who loved them. Moses was to take the staff:

the staff that turned into a snake and back (Exo. 4:4),

the staff lifted over the Nile to bring the plague of frogs (Exo. 8:5),

the staff which budded indicating Aaron was God's choice for the priesthood (Num. 17:8)]

and simply speak to the rock and it would pour out clear, refreshing water (Num. 20:8). It was a simple but effective way to call the attention of the Israelites to God's power and majesty. Verse 9 says that Moses was on his way to doing what God said.

What hinders your complete obedience to God? One of the more common issues I see among God's people is anger. It is a terribly destructive force in the home. Mom or Dad come home to a house that is not quite in order and explode on everyone, no matter what the reason or who's actually to blame. Maybe Dad had a bad day at work and rather than take it out on his coworkers he, instead, chooses to bring it home to his family -- reasoning that it is "his" home and you can't get fired from your home. Many time such a person will appear perfectly calm in front of co-workers or even strangers -- wouldn't want them to think bad of me -- yet act like maniacs at home. Maybe Mom has had it up to her eyeballs in children who will not be quiet, or still, or remember to clean up after themselves. She tries to hold it in but can only hold it so long before it wells up and she dumps it all on whoever is handy. Is any of this making any sense? I suspect it may be hitting "home" for all us.

How does such unchecked anger affect people at home? People live, not in love, but in mortal fear that one in the family may become angry. Lives are spent catering to the whims and demands of one who does not control his or her anger. Spirits are broken by the verbal or physical abuse that follows if things are not done just to the liking of the angry one. Often it does not matter what you do -- the angry wave will flood the home like a tidal wave leaving nothing standing in its path. Left unchecked, anger brings with it broken homes, emotional numbness, shattered egos, and amazing potentials left unrealized for fear they may make a certain someone angry.

Moses had the right idea of going before God in prayer. He certainly had a "right" to be angry. But it appears that he forgot a major component in prayer. Jesus taught this to His disciples. You and I need to be sure we practice this each time we pray. His disciples asked Him, "LORD, teach us to pray..." (Luke 11:1, NKJV). Jesus said, "When you pray, say...forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us" (Luke 11:2,4, NKJV). Your anger will fester and grow until you go before the LORD Jesus and pray this particular prayer in earnest. Yes, the people can be very wrong. Yes, the people can hurt you very bad. Yes, the people do not deserve your forgiveness. This is the "debt" they owe to you. This is the debt from which you must release them. Jesus said, "When you pray..." (Luke 11:2, NKJV).

3. Acting in anger rather than forgiveness causes misplaced trust which dishonors God. (Num. 20:10-13)

God prepared a very special leader for the children of Israel. He knew they would be defiant, rebellious, ungrateful, fickle, and childish. He needed a leader who would be experienced handling such creatures. So He went to extraordinary means to prepare a man named Moses.

God made Moses tend sheep in the desert for forty years. Sheep are some of the most stubborn of all animals. What a perfect training ground for the future that God already had in mind for Moses (Jer. 29:11)!

Alas, Moses gave in to his anger toward the people. "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" (Num. 20:10, NIV). Moses struck the rock rather than speak to it as God had clearly commanded. God graciously met the need of His people by causing water to come out of the rock anyway. But He was greatly displeased at Moses for the sake of the people (Deut. 1:37). Moses did not trust God enough to honor Him as holy (Num. 20:12). And so God judged Moses, as the leader of God's people, by not allowing him to lead the people into the Promised Land. After all those years of leading them through rebellion, Moses' rebellion prevented him from seeing the fulfillment of what God promised to the children of Israel.

Why did Moses strike the rock? Several explanations are possible:

Moses did not believe God could bring water out of the rock just by speaking to it: But Moses had seen God perform so many awesome miracles already.

Moses did not believe this was the right way to demonstrate to the people (once again) that God was in perfect control of all creation, including their specific circumstances: It seems unlikely since God had communicated His will to Moses so specifically. And we have no other instances of Moses telling God to do a different miracle.

Moses allowed his anger/frustration at the people to guide his conduct by angrily striking the rock: This would certainly explain why Moses struck the rock...but does it explain how God is treated as unholy?

Moses, in his anger, did not point the people to God who brought the water from the rock? This seems the best answer to why God was treated as unholy, especially in light of 1 Cor. 10:1-4.

As God's prophet, Moses represented God's character before the assembly. The Bible says, "In your anger, sin not (Psalm 4:4-5). At the moment he appeared before this rebellious assembly, Moses did not believe God was utterly holy. He probably wasn't even thinking about God because of his anger and frustration with these people. In his anger, he may have even been mad at God for giving the people what they so ungratefully demanded. Anger left unchecked can lead you to ungodly behavior, sometimes on a major scale. Jesus warned of this when He compared the sin of murder with the murderous intent of the heart: "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder,' and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment" (Matt. 5:21-22, NKJV). One who is angry does not often murder but murder is rooted in anger.

When you begin to feel angry at another human being, especially a loved one, the first thing to do is "talk up the hand." This means to stop carrying on about the other person; first, stop and examine yourself. King David put it this way: "Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD" (Psalm 4:4-5, NKJV). Interestingly, he showed the relationship between trusting God and dealing with your anger in a godly manner. When you meditate on your anger, you might ask yourself:

Why am I angry?

Will this problem make a difference to me ten years from now?

Have I truly forgiven this person?

What I am about to say or do, does it reflect my belief in a holy God.

Had Moses asked these questions about his anger, perhaps he would not have tarnished his position of leadership and dishonored God with his angry, disobedient outburst before all the people. You (and I) must remember that you live your life not for yourself alone, nor for God alone, but for others who will be impacted by your life. So live in such a way that treats God as holy. This means that we look at people not through eyes of anger seeking revenge but look at people as precious souls for whom Christ died -- no matter how big a "dirtbag" they may be. This does not suggest you are not to "feel" angry at others, nor does it suggest that you fail to hold people accountable for their sin. But in your time of anger, stop and be sure you treat God as holy by doing what He commanded you to do for others, even your enemies: forgive them, love them, pray for them, and bless them. This will tend to diminish the feelings of anger and grant you the power to deal with the other person in love and humility.

Conclusion:

Remember the main point: Anger causes you to misplace your trust in God by trusting in your own ability to rectify a situation. The end result is disobedience which hurts others and treats God as common (irrelevant) rather than holy. Effective prayer -- prayer that forgives others who have hurt you -- causes you to stop and consider God's perspective on the situation giving you the reasons and the power to act obediently even toward those who have hurt you.

Anger creates a strong emotional desire to strike back at one whose sin has hurt you. While most Christians want to obey God, anger is a very common obstacle to pure obedience. Anger prompts us to act in rapid, self-directed behavior that not only defies God's command but actually brings even more hurt into people's lives than the hurt we feel when angry. The solution is effective prayer that considers your reasons for anger, forgives the one who hurt you, and determines to treat God as holy in your response to that anger. It is a process you must go through to overcome anger and obey God.

Our Creator God loves you and wants you to know Him! If you would like to contact this ministry for further information or questions, please send your e-mail to:
Email: ministryrequest1@WordTruth.Com
Web Site: WordTruth.Com

Copyright 1999, Randy Lariscy.