Photo by:David Berkowitz
Is it safer to take out our anger on people or God?
If we discover that we really do have a beef with the Almighty, are we wise to keep our feelings to ourselves?
The Hebrew Scriptures give us plenty of examples. Let’s think about a couple.
Jonah was a prophet who was angry with God for showing mercy to the repentant population of Nineveh (Jonah 3:10-4:4).
God responded by asking Jonah twice whether he had a right to be angry (4:4,9). Does that imply that Jonah should not have expressed his anger toward God, the vine that left him without shade, or the Ninevites that he so hated–if that’s the way he really felt?
Is there any indication in Jonah’s story that he made a mistake in letting on that he had issues with God?
Then there’s Job. Some have tried to portray him as someone who said only good and honorable things about God after getting hit with a series of horrific losses (Job 1:21-22), (Job 2:10). But after 7 days of groaning and restrained words, a flashes of anger broke out between Job and God… and then between Job and his comforters… as they tried to defend God and themselves.
Was Eliphaz right in confronting Job for venting his anger against God? (Job 15:12-13)? Did God later punish Job for expressing anger with heaven? (Job 42:7)
Job was angry not only with the friends who accused him of something something he didn’t do (Job 4:7-8). He also accused God of doing what God had not done to him. He was angry with God for not giving him answers, for withholding justice from him, for treating him as an enemy, and for shooting arrows of distress into him (Job 6:4).
My guess is that God can handle our anger, and for many reasons would rather have us express it– than to deny or stuff it. Even if our emotions are not “right”, am thinking that the better part of wisdom is to get them out in words–telling him exactly what we are thinking and feeling (since he already knows)…
Seems to me that Job had God’s favor not only in the beginning of his story… but at the end. Jonah’s story, on the other hand leaves us hanging as to whether he ever comes to his senses… (Jonah 4:11)
(+63 rating, 69 votes)
Loading...