But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him. Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah [Psa 4:3-4 ESV]
If you have time in your day, I would urge you to read all of Psalm 4. It is a short Psalm, but it sure does give me comfort. It’s a great reminder that God has set apart believers for Himself. He hears us when we call. Does the next phrase seem familiar? “Be angry, and do not sin.” It is believed Paul used this Psalm when writing Ephesians. In this Psalm the phrase “be angry” is also translated “stand in awe” or “tremble.” God is so holy and so righteous, yet we live in a world that is so overrun with sin.
Does sin anger you? Do the results of sin anger you? My four-year-old just recently had a cold and at night she asked, “Why do I have a cold?” How do I tell her, “Because sin entered this world?” It was the first time she was conscious of the fact that she was sick, felt bad, and would rather sit on the couch instead of play with toys. She looked at me one night and said, “I hate colds.” She was angry with her cold. Was it a righteous anger, maybe, but there were probably some selfish reasons for her to be angry as well. God has a righteous anger. He hates our sin and the effects of sin on this world. Even this world is well aware of the effects sin has had on it. “Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay.” [Rom 8:20-21 NLT]
Man do I hate the results of sin: death, cancer, selfishness, hatred of brothers, all kinds of sickness, earthly catastrophes, and many more. But is my anger righteous? If I’m being honest, probably not most of the time. Scripture tells me, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” [Jer 17:9 ESV] Even when I believe to have a righteous anger, I must be aware that my heart is deceitful and I cannot trust it. I must first seek Him who made me and see if my anger is just and from Him or unjust and from my own heart. Most of the time it’s probably going to be unjust. Let’s look at a few scriptures:
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret--it leads only to evil. [Psa 37:8 NIV]
Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. [Pro 16:32 ESV]
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. [Eph 4:31 ESV]
But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. [Col 3:8 ESV]
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. [Jas 1:19-20 ESV]
Do you see a theme here? Put away, be slow to, refrain from. It doesn’t seem we get a quick pass at anger just because there is sin in this world. I think the last passage in this list, James 1:19-20, sums up the point that the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Is your anger from man, (your own heart) or has it truly been put there by God? Lastly, Psalm 4 says to “ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.” Can we work on pondering the results of sin in our world and what a biblical answer might be while being silent?
Reflection Questions:
- Are you angry?
- Is your anger from God or from yourself; how do you know?
Do you take the time to ponder biblical truths in a quiet place? If not, when and how might you have the opportunity to do that? (car rides, after the kids’ bedtime, early morning, etc.)
Reflection Song:
