Verse of the day: Genesis
49:7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; and their wrath,
for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in
Israel.
Israel
continues down the line from Reuben to Simeon and Levi. Again we see that their
actions from long ago have come back to visit them once again. In their anger
they murder the men of Shechem, and it is likely that these two led their brothers
in the idea of killing Joseph before Reuben tried to intervene, and Judah
convinced them to sell him into slavery instead (Genesis 37). In their anger
they turned their swords, that were meant for good, for their protection and
defense of others, into weapons of destruction used to kill. This is the danger
in uncontrolled anger. Sadly, there are far too many born again believers that
have fallen into the trap of using the Sword of the Spirit, God’s Word, and
wielding wildly, in their anger, doing more damage than good. The Word of God
is described as a two-edge sword (Hebrews 4:12), and we can use it to cut and
heal or cut and kill. A skilled surgeon can take a scalpel and perform to most
delicate of surgeries to save someone’s life. However, that same scalpel in the
hands of an unskilled person can be a deadly weapon that is used to cut, and
slash, someone to death. We must be careful that when we preach against those
things that are done in opposition to what God says is right and true, that we
do not do it in an unloving and angry way. Far too many people have been turned
away from Christ because too many Christians have been unloving in the way they
communicate God’s truth. The Word of God tells us to always speak the truth in
love (Ephesians 4:15). There is nothing wrong with being passionate, but we can
be passionate and loving. Note that Israel was not condemning Simeon and Levi,
but their anger. The Bible does not tell us not to be angry, but tells us to be
angry and sin not (Ephesians 4:26). We can, and will, become angry with what we
see happening in the world around us, and even up close and personal in our own
lives; but how we respond, and how we utilize that anger will determine if we
cross the line into sinful behavior. Simeon, and Levi, in their anger for what
was done to their sister Dinah, decided that there would be no forgiveness, and
that the price that would be paid would be murder. However, note that in the
heat of their anger, they not only killed the offender, but they killed all the
men of Shechem. Uncontrolled anger will always cause our response to any
situation to go far beyond what was necessary to resolve whatever the issue was,
and do far more damage to our testimony for Christ, and those around us. Jesus
told us in Matthew 5:22, “But I say
unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in
danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be
in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in
danger of hell fire.” When we fail to control our anger, we give the
devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:26-27). We are told in James 1:20 that our anger
does nothing to promote the righteousness of God. There are a number of verses,
in the Scriptures, that warn us to avoid reacting to situations in anger. There
was great wisdom in proclaiming the division of the two tribes, as the Word of
God clearly tells us that we are not to make friends with a hot-tempered
person, or one who is easily angered (Proverbs 22:24). Later, we see the result
of this division, from which we can learn a valuable lesson. On the one hand,
we have Simeon’s tribe, which eventually become the weakest of all tribes
(Numbers 26:14). His anger became a curse to both him and his descendants. On
the other hand we see God’s grace in dealing with the tribe of Levi. The
separation of these two tribes turned this curse into a blessing for the
Levites, who were later chosen, by God, to serve as priests (Numbers 1:48-53). Once
again, we see God’s mercy, and grace, that is still available to us today. God
does not discard us as quickly as men do. We must not forsake God because of
the actions of, or rejection from, people, even if it is our brothers/sisters
in Christ. Just as God was merciful, and willing to use the Levites, He is
still willing to use those of us who have struggled with tendencies towards
uncontrolled anger. Any one of us who turns from sinful behavior, and turns to
Christ, can be used for God’s glory. The choice ultimately becomes ours. Let us
choose what we are commanded in Psalm 37:8, “Cease from anger,
and forsake wrath; do not fret—it only causes harm.”
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