Monday, March 14, 2016
487 - Anger Management
Spirituality Column #487
March 15, 2016
Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary
“I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord …” – Deuteronomy 9:19
Moses fasted and laid prostrate before the Lord for 40 days and nights – twice – just trying to get God’s Ten Commandments down the mountain once and into the hearts and minds of the nation of Israel.
Both times this divine delivery was met by a stiff-necked, sinning, idol-forging nation. The first time, Moses himself hurled and broke the tablets of God’s covenant in disgust with Israel’s sin. The second time, Moses begged God’s mercy not to destroy His chosen yet rebellious people.
Deuteronomy 9 is a concise, instructive snapshot of God’s righteousness, generosity, faithfulness, anger, wrath and mercy, not to mention Israel’s utter rebellion, Moses’s unfailing faithfulness to God and Israel, and Old Testament intercessory prayer at its finest.
Moses talked God into a mulligan. Deuteronomy 10 opens with another set of tablets, another chance for Israel, and continues in copious repetition (from Exodus and Numbers) of God’s laws and stern reminders to fear God’s wrath and anger. Telling Israel once was not enough; “Deuteronomy,” after all, means “repetition of the law.” Even the Ten Commandments took two tries to be delivered.
Deuteronomy is great instruction about a great God, great faith and a greatly sinful humanity. But as Christians we must always be vigilant of what’s missing in these Mosaic stories, and that’s the New Covenant of Jesus Christ. It’s a spirit-rending mistake of the first order when Christians seek out the wrathful God of the Old Testament without taking along our relational, sin-covering Jesus to understand the unsolvable, condemnational problems humanity had prior to the coming of Christ.
The Old Testament tells us about an unchanging yet somehow relational God, His Creation, our humanity, and the problems that arise from God’s love having righteously provided man with virtually unlimited freedom. God’s plan is for humanity to use its freedom to discover God’s love and glory so that it may freely love Him back. Satan urges us to use that freedom to shame and humiliate God by venerating, loving, and promoting our self-interests. Satan smiles when human anger is directed at God.
The lesson God has shown to mankind through Jesus is divine love that sacrifices for others, finds peace in humility, pride in God’s glory, strength in God’s truth and courage in everlasting salvation.
Anger and fear, ever-present in our fallen, worldly existence, are central themes of the Old Testament. Love and peace – the love of God and others, and the peace of Christ – are eternal truths of the New Testament.
Learn from the Old, yes, but please, live in the New.
Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) notes that people don’t change without Christ, and God doesn’t change, period.
March 15, 2016
Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary
Anger Management
By Bob Walters“I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord …” – Deuteronomy 9:19
Moses fasted and laid prostrate before the Lord for 40 days and nights – twice – just trying to get God’s Ten Commandments down the mountain once and into the hearts and minds of the nation of Israel.
Both times this divine delivery was met by a stiff-necked, sinning, idol-forging nation. The first time, Moses himself hurled and broke the tablets of God’s covenant in disgust with Israel’s sin. The second time, Moses begged God’s mercy not to destroy His chosen yet rebellious people.
Deuteronomy 9 is a concise, instructive snapshot of God’s righteousness, generosity, faithfulness, anger, wrath and mercy, not to mention Israel’s utter rebellion, Moses’s unfailing faithfulness to God and Israel, and Old Testament intercessory prayer at its finest.
Moses talked God into a mulligan. Deuteronomy 10 opens with another set of tablets, another chance for Israel, and continues in copious repetition (from Exodus and Numbers) of God’s laws and stern reminders to fear God’s wrath and anger. Telling Israel once was not enough; “Deuteronomy,” after all, means “repetition of the law.” Even the Ten Commandments took two tries to be delivered.
Deuteronomy is great instruction about a great God, great faith and a greatly sinful humanity. But as Christians we must always be vigilant of what’s missing in these Mosaic stories, and that’s the New Covenant of Jesus Christ. It’s a spirit-rending mistake of the first order when Christians seek out the wrathful God of the Old Testament without taking along our relational, sin-covering Jesus to understand the unsolvable, condemnational problems humanity had prior to the coming of Christ.
The Old Testament tells us about an unchanging yet somehow relational God, His Creation, our humanity, and the problems that arise from God’s love having righteously provided man with virtually unlimited freedom. God’s plan is for humanity to use its freedom to discover God’s love and glory so that it may freely love Him back. Satan urges us to use that freedom to shame and humiliate God by venerating, loving, and promoting our self-interests. Satan smiles when human anger is directed at God.
The lesson God has shown to mankind through Jesus is divine love that sacrifices for others, finds peace in humility, pride in God’s glory, strength in God’s truth and courage in everlasting salvation.
Anger and fear, ever-present in our fallen, worldly existence, are central themes of the Old Testament. Love and peace – the love of God and others, and the peace of Christ – are eternal truths of the New Testament.
Learn from the Old, yes, but please, live in the New.
Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) notes that people don’t change without Christ, and God doesn’t change, period.