My Daily Pause

Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.
– Proverbs 19:11

Solomon must have been thinking of his father when he wrote this. No matter how much Saul chased him, David said he would not attack God’s anointed.

Godly people do not carry a chip on their shoulder nor do they take insults and injustices to heart.

James advised Christians to be slow to speak, slow to anger because the anger of man does not produce godly righteousness. (James 1:19-20)

Christ driving the Traders from the Temple – ~1600 – El Greco (1541–1614)

Jesus was A.N.G.R.Y!

And rightly so.

Can you imagine how threatened the moneychangers must have felt when a young and buff man with a whip came tearing through the temple? (John 2:13-22) It certainly made a lasting impression, because the Sadducees were out to get him from then on.

Jesus tends to get caricaturized as a soft and gentle man. That was not always true, as we see in this event. Our Lord was not afraid to be forceful in defending his father or his father’s house.

Many that would criticize the Jews today for their treatment of the temple have little room to talk. Today we see church meeting houses mistreated both during services and other times.

Depending on the denomination or liberality of the congregation we see:

• Cake sales
• Dances
• Sports
• Secular or para-Christian ceremonies
• Amusement for children during worship
• Theatrical productions

…the list goes on.

I don’t want to say that our modern meeting houses are in any way like the Jewish temples. We have no scriptural basis for our buildings to be considered holy. The building is just a house.

But… would Jesus care about what was happening inside a house with his name on it? When the world looks in from the street, would they see only what Jesus would approve of?

If we look at 2 John 1:8-11, we get the right answer:

We do not allow the things that Jesus would not teach in our house. (2 John 1:10)

Even greeting them that would bring it makes us participants! (2 John 1:11)

Challenge: What is going on in your meeting house that would make Jesus angry?

 ¹¹ The wise are patient;
they will be honored if they ignore insults. – Proverbs 19:11

Godly people will not “have a chip on their shoulder” nor do they take insults and injustices to heart.

James gives us the New Testament pattern (James 1:19-20).  …let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;²⁰for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Anger is never without a reason, but seldom with a good one.
–Benjamin Franklin

Paul understood that we need to be angry sometimes, but we shouldn’t let it give us an excuse to sin. It’s also a good idea to get over it quickly. Check out Ephesians 4:26-27