April 25

PROVERBS 13

¹⁰ By insolence comes nothing but strife,
    but with those who take advice is wisdom.
¹¹ Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,
    but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
¹² Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
    but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
¹³ Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself,
    but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.
¹⁴ The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
    that one may turn away from the snares of death.

                                                                               – Proverbs 13:10-14

PROVERBS 13 INSOLENCE BRINGS CONFLICTS & STRIFE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When one is driven by anger and bitterness, they can be impertinent

Because of their self-focused mindset, they want attention in an instant

Rudeness can trigger even the most patient and most loving person

Insolence exudes a toxic, triggering and impulsive negative reaction

Be watchful and don’t think of yourself only, but treat others with respect

Impatience and anger destroy relationships, so don’t be impudent.

We live in a very fast-paced and instant-gratification world today. Nobody wants to wait or to be set aside. Self-centered people do not want to be ignored or they will explode and make someone else’s life a living hell. These narcissists do not care about anyone but themselves. They want to be the center of the universe. They dramatize their grandiose sense of their importance and perform in whatever way they can to get their demands for attention satisfied.  They have no skill at listening or paying attention to others because they do not care for anyone else but themselves. It is so sad to watch our world hit rock bottom when we see people like these. But the bible talked about the prevalence of these self-centered people in 2 Timothy 3. In the last days, people will be lovers of self, boastful, arrogant, lovers of money, abusive, ungrateful and disobedient.

The saying focuses on those who do not heed the word of God and walk in the fear of the Lord. When we do not know the purpose of our lives, we live for the “self.” God created us so that we can have a relationship with him and so He can be praised and glorified by all the people he made. Because of sin, this design of God for humankind was twisted and turned to give glory to “self.” That is why it is impossible for the impudent to live peaceful and joyful lives. They will always create chaos and strife.

REFLECTION

• Why do you think people become impudent or rude?

April 24

JEREMIAH 3

¹¹ And the Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. ¹² Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, “‘Return, faithless Israel,
declares the Lord. I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful, declares the Lord;
I will not be angry forever. ¹³ Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the Lord your God
and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have not obeyed my voice, declares the Lord. ¹⁴ Return, O faithless children, declares the Lord; for I am your master;
I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.” – Jeremiah 3:11-14

JEREMIAH 3 THE MERCIFUL ANGER OF THE LORD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Human anger cannot be compared with the Lord’s wrath

God’s fury is towards sin and all that is wicked in the world

Man’s anger is self-centered and aimed at satisfying the flesh

While God’s wrath is about bringing back man to do what is right

Human anger produces what is earthly, wicked and unspiritual

God’s wrath is just and merciful; it intends to restore his people.

In this book of prophecy, Jeremiah speaks to Israel who have breached their covenant with God. As a prophet, Jeremiah’s role is to bring God’s message to his people and to mediate and enforce the covenant that the people of God made with the Lord. The prophet’s role is to admonish and bring the message of God to them so that they could be corrected and be reminded of the consequences of when they breach their covenant with the Lord God Almighty.

In verse 11, the Lord proclaims their unfaithfulness to God and compares them with Judah. As far as faithlessness was concerned, they were worse than Judah. In verse 12, we are given a glimpse of the mercy of God when he asked Jeremiah to tell his people that God will forfeit his anger if they turn away from their idolatry. They were asked in verse 13 to admit to their rebellion against God when they yoked with the pagan nations around them which led them to disobey God’s laws. In verse 14, you hear God pleading with them to turn away from their idolatry and remember that He is their master and not those pagan gods. Only a loving father would do what God did. It was out of love and not punishment that he gave this message to the Israelites. His anger was towards the consequences of their idolatry and not on his people themselves. We see that his anger is merciful, not punishing or condemning. It is out of love.

No human being can be as gracious and merciful as God. When we get mad, it is mostly about something that we didn’t get our way done or we become powerless and have no control over something. James 1:19-20 caution us to be slow to anger because the anger of man does not produce God’s righteousness. James 3:15-16 describes human wisdom as earthly, demonic, selfish and unspiritual. The source of this wisdom stems from envy & jealousy. God’s wisdom focuses on righteous jealousy and merciful anger.

REFLECTION

·       How must a Christian react to man’s anger and to God’s anger?

April 23

2 KINGS 17

 ¹³ Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.”¹⁴ But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the Lord their God. ¹⁵ They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do like them. ¹⁶ And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. ¹⁷ And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. ¹⁸ Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only.¹⁹ Judah also did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the customs that Israel had introduced. ²⁰ And the Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until he had cast them out of his sight. – 2 Kings 17:13-20

2 KINGS 17 STUBBORNNESS & IDOLATRY PROVOKE GOD’S ANGER

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When the Lord has chosen you as one of his children

He will give you the ability to follow and please him

But when your flesh and love for the world overtakes you

You will probably succumb to the flesh and turn against God

You will become persistent in getting your longings gratified

It will lead you to idols that you will obsess to chase and satisfy

The rebellion and chasing idols will surely provoke God’s anger

Because he is holy and steadfast in his love, you will receive his justice.

The account in this book of Kings presents the story of the provocation of the Israelites to God’s anger. The Lord has sent many prophets and judges to Israel and Judah to warn them not to follow the footsteps of their wicked ancestors, but they seem to be deaf to these admonitions. The following sins that they did were explicitly enumerated in verses 14-17 which provoked the wrath of God.

·       They didn’t listen to the warnings and continued to be stubborn and didn’t believe in God

·       They despised the laws that God has made for them to obey and broke the covenant

·       They chased pagan idols and followed the practices of the pagan nations around them

·       They abandoned all the commandments of God and built images for Asherah and Baal

·       They burned their own children for offerings and used divination

Doesn’t our current world practice these sins as well as they did in the Old Testament time?

REFLECTION

·       How does our world today provoke God’s wrath? What sins do we commit similar to theirs?

April 18

PROVERBS 29

⁵ A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.
⁶ An evil man is ensnared in his transgression,
    but a righteous man sings and rejoices.
⁷ A righteous man knows the rights of the poor;
    a wicked man does not understand such knowledge.
⁸ Scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath.
⁹ If a wise man has an argument with a fool,
    the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.
¹⁰ Bloodthirsty men hate one who is blameless and seek the life of the upright.
¹¹ A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.

                                                                       – Proverbs 29:5-11

PROVERBS 29 A FOOL GIVES FULL VENT TO ANGER

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If you hear flattery given to you, be wary of their traps

They are not honest and they usually expect something back

The fool intends to plot a provocation to get a reaction

Because of their insecurity, they want to elicit argumentation

A foolish person gives full vent to their emotions especially anger

They have no control over their insecurities and their temper.

In these following sayings, Solomon warns us of the flatterer, the evil man, the scoffers, the bloodthirsty and the angry man. He cautions us to be watchful of those who may seemingly shower us with compliments that aren’t really true. They expect something back when they give it to others because it is a platform to get their supply of attention and adoration in payment for such praise they gave you. It is a trap for you to see them as good so they can be given adulation.

Solomon paints a picture of the wicked person. They are never content or joyful. They constantly look for something more than what they already have. They envy others and crave for what they don’t possess, making them so depressed and anxious. The evil person is very discriminating, oppressive and loves to do injustice to other people especially those whom they look down upon or do not live up to their standards.

The scoffers and the bloodthirsty have violent and murderous tendencies making them very dangerous towards anyone. They are always there to kill someone else’s person’s character if not murder them physically. They create much chaos, fear and control to those around them.

Let’s focus on the angry man. You will easily spot them when they are around. They are reactionary and easily provoked with even just a small thing. They want all attention to themselves. They love drama.

REFLECTION

·       Share some insights why you think the angry man gives full vent to their anger.

April 17

EPHESIANS 4

²⁵ Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. ²⁶ Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁷ and give no opportunity to the devil. ²⁸ Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. ²⁹ Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. ³² Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. – Ephesians 4:25-32

EPHESIANS 4 EXPRESS ANGER WITHOUT SINNING

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you are wronged and abused, be angry but do not sin

Remember that God is your vindicator; be quiet and be still

Look inside your own heart and examine if there is any bitterness

All forms of bitterness can make you react unrighteously

Anger is to be used to expose injustice and oppression

It is never just a form of venting or outward expression

Be on guard and don’t let anyone stir up malice in you

Respond instead of react so you don’t give Satan a foothold.

It seems impossible to be angry and not blow up. We all have a propensity to anger. Because of our inherited sins from Adam and Eve, we became self-centered and pleasure-seeking humans.  Being able to calmly say that you are angry is not an easy thing to do, especially if one doesn’t know Christ. Without the fear of the Lord, we will always follow our human tendencies.

What is the cause of human anger? The root of most anger is pride. We look up at ourselves as the center of the universe and get mad when we don’t get the full attention of those around us. If we were humble like Jesus, we wouldn’t have the inclination to give in to sinful anger.  This is why Jesus became human. Even though he is divine, he gave it up to become human to serve as an example for us to imitate.  According to gotquestions.org this act, often called the kenosis (Greek for “emptying”), demonstrates Jesus’ obedience to God and his role as a servant to humanity, culminating in his death on the cross.

In this letter of Paul to the church in Ephesus, he reminds the believers to get rid of all falsehood and speak only what is true. Even if the truth would anger us or the one we are telling it to, we must be honest about what our convictions are and align it to God’s truth. If we speak of our anger in a gracious manner, we will avoid exploding in rage that may hurt someone else. Even as we confront lies and evil, we still need to follow the humble example of Jesus who was silent all throughout the abuses he received during his passion at Calvary. He was like a lamb, quiet even to the point of being slaughtered.

REFLECTION

• Why is it important not to hold back anger and express it graciously?