Christ was always reasonably angry, with just cause, in proper proportion to sin he met or a incalcitrant rebel heart. Yet, our excellent, sinless, Lord never once gave way to the pressure or stress of an assault on His person by an uncontrolled outburst against a perpetrator: He could drive money-changers out in order to cleanse God’s House; or He could look around indignant at stubborn hypocrites; or He could feel anger surge at the horrible ravages of death; yet, our Savior always struck the right balance of holy, patient, love which was ready to forgive. He always fixed his heart on service of saints and not on self – for the serene Nazarene, the Glory of the Father was always paramount.

Many situations provoke us. We get hurt then get hot. These testing circumstances, when we are tempted to react, are spiritually precarious. We need to pause and reflect. We should let “red mist disperse”. We must take a long, deep, breath.  How we react, and the next steps we take, are sure to have repercussions which cannot be foreseen, determined, controlled or guaranteed. The way we respond, for good or ill, may be the first in a string or saga of events, which bring us joy and relief, or sorrow and regret.

This verse teaches that while we should be angry at sin, wickedness, deception and rebellion – as David Himself endured at the hands of sinful men as the Anointed of the LORD – we must not be guilty of multiplying evil or returning it with interest. Instead we are to rest, muse over the trouble on our bed – when the heat of the hurt has subsided a bit, with a serene and settled composure, react in a manner that is godly and faithful. and, as far as we have light, is consistent with God’s will and accords with truth and love.

If we are in any doubt, as to the advantageous nature of this course, the following reflections are aimed to give good reasons to motivate us to restraint of righteous anger: we must refuse to let justifiable outrage spill over in into a bitter, resentful, all-out, no-holes-barred, outburst:

First, as I’ve said, we just never know what the ramifications will be, if we respond to rage with wrath. Brothers! Check your step before you act!

Second, when we our hot, wrath tends to cloud our judgment: it is hard to be angry and, simultaneously, see things lucidly – we view bleakly, judge harshly, observe blindly. Brothers! Pause, wait, look more penetratingly and get clarity!

Third, the Lord commands us, through His prophet David, to be angry but sin not: from deep waters of bitter experience, and his own tale of woe, he gives wise counsel to both self and church – he had lived through conflict; he had survived insurrection; he had felt the bitterness of betrayal; he had beheld the fickleness of false allegiance; he had seen casualties pile up; he had observed others harshly misjudged; he had been shocked at just how lacking in discernment some of his right hand men could be; he had been cheered by friends over whom others expressed doubts; he had refused to react when under pressure from Saul; and in the end, when conflict had died down, the Prince was esteemed in the affection of the people, who happily were able to acquit him of any vengeance. So, we should always ask ourselves, before we react, will I be able to still stand tall, in three years time, once this turbulence subsides.

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