Making God Angry
It's inventory time. Do a quick turn down memory lane and make mental note of any times that you earned someone else's anger. Did you betray a trust or a confidence? Did you go back on your word or break a promise? Maybe you said one thing and did the opposite. I can tell you that my list of "anger earning" actions is a VERY long and growing one.
It's universally true that, as sinners, we ALL fall short. We all fail. We all do things that elicit negative emotional reactions from those with whom we interact, including, but not limited to, anger.
It is also true though that MOST human anger is short lived. It takes something really exceptional (in a bad way) to linger beyond a few days or perhaps months.
So, let's recap. Humans are sinful and will hurt each other from time to time. The humans on the receiving end of this hurt will often get angry with the one who did the hurting, but usually only for a short time. Our minds and hearts are limited in their ability to retain the hate that anger can generate.
That brings us to the predicament that the Israelites found themselves in through their sinful actions recorded in Deuteronomy 1:34-35. "When the Lord heard what you said, He was angry and solemnly swore: "No one from this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your ancestors..."
I don't know about you, but angering my boss, my kids or my wife is enough to make my stomach turn. Can you imagine hearing your Lord saying "I am ANGRY with you AND I'm SO angry that I'm NOT going to forget what you've done until the current generation is dead and gone!" LOUD, SLOW, PAINFUL GULP!
So, why am I any different than the Israelites? Why on earth hasn't God come to me directly and told me that the sheer volume of my reprehensible sin record has earned me His anger?
The answer is Jesus. The great healer of anger, our Savior Jesus Christ, interceded and bore the full brunt of God's wrath for us. WE earned the anger and HE withstood the punishment for us.
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