Anger in the Bible: Distinguishing Between Righteous and Unrighteous Anger
Anger seems to be around us everywhere. To be sure, there’s no shortage of good reasons to be angry, from errant politicians to abuses of power by people in positions of authority, and frustration over social and other causes one can think of. Even a cursory look at social media and in-person interactions reveals people expressing anger over a whole host of things. We often see anger that quickly flares up and descends into vitriol and violence. But anger in the Bible? Unfortunately, our sentiments toward anger and its expressions are shaped by what we typically see. For people who only experience destructive outward expressions of anger, it can be hard to reconcile that with the message of the Bible, and so in their own lives, they may resolve to hold onto their anger, button it up, and not express it under any circumstances. The very idea of “righteous anger” would seem a misnomer, or a bad joke someone’s trying to make. How can anger be righteous when it looks like people throwing tables and chairs at each other at a buffet spot? The Bible does make such distinctions, however, and they may help us to steer away from the types of anger and expressions that are displeasing to the Lord, and toward those that honor the Lord and constitute healthy and constructive expressions of anger. Anger in the Bible: Righteous Anger Can anger be “righteous?” The Bible has many examples of people doing horrible things to one another in their anger. After the Lord rejected Cain’s sacrifice, we read, “So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is [...]
