September 27th, 2024
8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning,
and patience is better than pride.
9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,
for anger resides in the lap of fools.
We should all be sincerely appreciative of that fact that the Bible doesn't shy away from the real sin issues we face on a daily basis. One of them certainly being the issue of anger. We must admit that often, we do regard certain sins as worse than others and typically have a difficult time seeing them within ourselves. Anger most certainly falls into that category. At times we can be totally blinded by our own temperaments and subtly allow sinful attitudes to well up within us. Let us look at the way the Bible confronts us about this serious issue.
Anger is almost always presented to us alongside the notion of time. It is not that anger in of itself cannot be rightly displayed, it is more so the fact that it should not be an immediate and sudden reaction. Think of all the times you have read the words we must be "slow to anger." There is something so wise about that singular word, "slow". When we reflect upon our lives we might notice that a majority of our shortcomings occur when we choose to react or do things in haste. Rather than taking time to process or even pray, we have trusted ourselves to speak quickly, react instantly and make decisions upon impulse. God is giving to us the grand secret to self-control by commanding us to use the sequence of time to our own advantage.
This tends to play out very well especially for those of us who struggle in the department of anger, bitterness, and rage. Taking a day or two to pray through our emotions serves as an incredible healing for our souls. Within the slowness we find out that there is no reason for such undignified and spiteful thoughts. It also grants to us the ability to hear from the Lord before we choose to do anything. Hear the words of our passage, "the end of a matter is better than its beginning." The priority must not be how the fight starts but rather how it plays out in the end. The angry person chooses to care less about the ending just as long as the full weight of their feelings and thoughts were expressed. In this sense, anger becomes like a fire that quickly consumes everything and everyone around it; irrespective of the consequences.
The tail end of verse 8 writes that patience is better than pride. This is precisely what is hidden beneath the rage and anger we feel; the presence of human pride. The thought that my feelings deserve to be felt and my opinion is all that really matters. The moment we begin to give our self the prideful right to feel and act, we will most certainly fall prey to the sin of anger. Think back on the past few days or even weeks. Was there a moment where you suddenly reacted in a harsh manner? Did you allow yourself to be so provoked that you said something you weren't supposed to say? When that occurs, it is not the object of your anger that needs adjusting. In fact, it is our own hearts that need the transforming peace and calmness of the Almighty God.
Jesus spoke to us clearly about investigating our hearts. He knew that the heart is the furnace for all our desires and behaviours. Maybe we never speak angrily toward a person or situation but, if we feel the intensity in our heart, we are yet still guilty. It points to the fact that we are unable to forgive our brothers and sisters as Christ has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32). It means we do not seek to truly pour love and grace upon those who sin against us (Matthew 5:44). As followers of Christ, we cannot be so easily provoked to wrath, malice, slander and bitterness (Colossians 3:8). We must rather be filled with the Holy Spirit of God at any moment, fully in control of our senses and speech. And at all times looking to encourage and build up all of those around us for the sake of peace and unity.
Why should we live in such a way? It seems too high of a calling most days. I think the easiest remedy to our stubborn unwillingness is this: if God chose to crucify Jesus Christ to remove the sting of His own wrath from our life, then we have no reason to unleash our rage upon another person. If we cannot embrace others with the free love of forgiveness, than none of us should claim to be recipients of His saving grace. None of us ever have to be so angry that we fall into sin. Rather, all of us should be supernaturally able to love because we have know we have first been loved by our great and merciful God (1 John 4:19).