Moses is not the only person in Scripture who dealt with anger. While we read of his anger on several occasions, we only have short descriptions of others. Thankfully the Scriptures were written before iPhones© were invented, or we might have some very surprising snapshots of famous people. Looking at them in their moments of anger may help us understand ourselves in similar circumstances.
An Angry King
Saul, in my opinion, is one of the tragic figures in Scripture. He started out well but came to an ignominious end.
Great celebration accompanied the coronation of handsome young Saul. But something happened to the man so humble that he hid from those who wanted him to be king. Almost immediately he assumed more authority than he had, and offered sacrifices inappropriately. His later disobedience cost him the throne, according to the prophet Samuel.
The stinging rebuke of Samuel was probably still in his ears when he heard women exalting David in song:
Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?”(1 Samuel 18:8, NIV).
It is easy to see that Saul’s insecurity and jealousy spawned his anger at David. His wrath was so vehement he threw a javelin at David, who escaped by the mercy of the Lord. This is not a pretty picture of a king, but one important to us in our desire to understand anger.
An Angry Prophet
Jonah’s anger was not directed at another person but at God. He reluctantly but obediently prophesied against Nineveh, and had seen great results as the city repented. But Jonah didn’t like it:
But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. He prayed to the Lord, “O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish” . . . But the Lord replied, “Have you any right to be angry?” (Jonah 4:1,2,4, NIV).
Saul was angry because he was jealous of someone else’s success. By contrast, Jonah was angry when he himself had been successful, but not in his own eyes. He had prophesied judgment, and it did not come because the people repented. The egocentric Jonah thought he looked like a false prophet, and he was mad.
This is not a pretty picture of a God-fearing prophet, but it shows us the consequences of having wrong motives while doing the right thing. What we get angry about has a way of revealing what is in our hearts.
Some Angry Disciples
Jesus and the disciples were walking to Jerusalem, the last trip before the crucifixion. The rich young ruler questioned Jesus and had the surprising assignment to give away his wealth. When Jesus continues his teaching about his Kingdom, the disciples were amazed and then more amazed and then astonished, according to Mark 10.
In this state of mental confusion, one thing came through to James and John. Jesus was going to set up a Kingdom, and they asked for a prominent place in it. The other disciples were angry at their request:
When the ten other disciples heard this, they were angry with James and John (Mark 10:41, CEV).
Some translations use softer language, like became indignant, but the Contemporary English Versionstates bluntly that they were angry.
What spawned the anger this time? The Bible does not say specifically, but we know from other passages that the disciples regularly discussed who would be the greatest. Apparently the others were now angry with James and John for assuming they would fill those positions. This is not a picture of the disciples we like to keep in our mental scrapbook.
These pictures of the angry king, the angry prophet and the angry disciples can be mirrors to reflect our own anger which may flare at times. All three became angry when they perceived something as personally threatening. Saul’s subsequent behavior brought his kingdom to an end. God in His mercy and Jesus in grace helped Jonah and the disciples confront their anger, which gives us hope for mercy and grace if we need it.
