Chapter 8: PROPHET! WATCH THAT ANGER (1)

Chapter 8: Prophet! Watch That Anger (1)

“He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly” (Proverbs 14:29 KJV)YT Converter

Οne good example I would like to use to buttress this is that of Prophet Jonah in the bible. I wonder why he became angry after God changed His judgment against the city of Nineveh, just because they repented from their evil ways.

Incident #8: Jonah’s Anger Against God’s Kindness

1. “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry.
2. So he prayed to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore 1 fled previously to Tarshish, for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness, One who relents from doing harm.
3. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!”
4. Then the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
5. Se Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city
6. And the Lord God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant.
7. But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered.
8. And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind, and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself. and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”
9. Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!”
10. But the Lord said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have nor labored, nor made it grow which came up in a night and perished in a night.
11. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left-and much livestock?” (Jonah 4:1-11)

Food For Thought

1. Jonah was exceedingly angry because God changed His mind to forgive the Ninevites;
2. He was more committed to his own reputation as a judgmental prophet than being committed to God’s will,
3. Jonah believed that God’s new attitude to the Ninevites will be a prophetic embarrassment since his prophecy over the destruction of Nineveh wasn’t going to be fulfilled,
4. God cares deeply for us as well as people we resent and hate
5. God is patient with sinners and patient with all of US
6. The last thing in Jonah’s mind was for God to also forgive all the animals in Nineveh who also were made to fast. (Jonah 3:3-8)

God is more than just being a consuming fire. He is very merciful, very patient and exhibits tenderly care towards His creation. I sincerely believe that every child/minister of God and especially those who are called into the prophetic ministry, should exhibit some measure of these good traits found in God, if they really need to succeed in their various assignments.

• None of us should allow our personal seal and emotions run ahead of God’s will in dealing with people’s shortcomings.

Incident 9: Prophet Elisha’s Anger Forty-two Kids Mauled

That Elisha cursed the children who abused him by calling him bald head, causing strange bears from the woods to devour them all, wasn’t really enough testimony for God’s glory, if we truly consider the aftermath in which some parents were likely to have become childless (2 Kings 2:23-24). (Please disregard this if you do not agree, it’s simply my personal opinion)

When a minister of the gospel hides under his weakness or inability to control his anger, and rail curses at people or church members in anger over every little offence, I don’t think this will go down to God’s glory

My advice to ministers with prophetic gifting’s is for them to always endeavor to put some checks on their emotions in a bid to help God bring His intended words to pass. It gives great joy to see God’s Word come to pass as it’s being declared. But however, great care should be applied in order not to give room to any pride. A prophet should never draw any attention to himself and make people fear him because of his judgmental declarations

I strongly believe that one major character out of several that a prophet and a pastor should seriously display is patience. Of course, every child of God has a seed of patience in his heart which should be nurtured into becoming the fruit of the spirit as he/she grows. (Rom 5.5: Gal 5:22, 1 Cor. 13-4a)

• A little impatience can switch a minister from being totally spiritual for a number of years to being totally carnal in a jiffy.

A man who is impatient may have some problems in showing someone some mercy. Mercy is the grace of love, and the person to which judgment is declared also has the opportunity to plead mercy from God.

Prophet Isaiah’s Maturity (2. King 20.1-7 KJV)

1. “In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto hum THUS SAITH THE LORD, SET THINE HOUSE IN ORDER, FOR THOU SHALT DIE, AND NOT LIVE
2. Then he turned to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying,
3. I beseech thee, And Hezekiah wept sore.
4. And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying,
5. Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, THUS SAITH THE LORD THE GOD OF DAVID THY FATHER. I HAVE HEARD THY PRAYER. I HAVE SEEN THY TEARS BEHOLD I WILL HEAL THEE ON THE THIRD DAY THOU SHALT GO UP UNTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD
6. AND I WILL ADD UNTO THY DAYS RIFTEEN YEARS:
7. And he recovered.”

In this case, prophet Isaiah handled the situation maturely (spiritually) without allowing his personal emotions to interfere with God’s opinion. Hezekiah repented immediately upon receiving the prophecy from the great prophet, and it was the same prophet Isaiah that God had to send back to deliver the good news to King Hezekiah. He was not angry like Jonah did when God changed His judgment of death on Hezekiah, healed him and added fifteen more years to his life,

• Prophet Isaiah didn’t make the mistake of placing his prophetic eagerness above what God wanted. He clearly understood that God will have mercy upon wham He decides to show mercy.

Incident #10: Elijah’s Holy Violence

Mount Carmel experience which Elijah had against the satanic people, made 450 prophets of Baal, go down in history and for God’s glory. Our anger must be very hot spiritually against God’s enemies.

May God help us curb this inborn anger that has since been seated within us just inside a small portion of our brains before birth, may we know how to use it violently to advance the kingdom of God as we learn how to “fake at by force” (Matthew 11:12), like Elijah did against the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal.

The ‘But’ In Prophet Moses’ Leadership

Why do we usually say things like this? She made me angry and I slapped her or “He was the one that got me angry and I broke the windscreen of this car, or, and I tore the wedding certificate

At this juncture, let us look at two of those incidents where Moses failed to restrain his actions in anger

Incident #11(a): Moses With The Two Tablets After A-Forty Day Fast

“And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in ha hand the tables were written on both their sides, on the one side and on the other were they written 16. And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables 19 And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp that he saw the calf, and the dancing, and MOSES ANGER WAXED HOT, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. 20. And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it. (Exodus 32:15-16, 19-20KJV)

• Moses’ outburst of anger blinded him to one of the end result of his forty days of basking in God’s glory;
• Moses’s anger was said to have ‘wared hot’, and to the extent that he broke the two tablets of stones.

God’s own handwriting would be the greatest physical treasure on earth to behold and kept. But thanks to God we now have it fully in our hearts by His Spirit through the new birth.

Incident #11(b): Moses’ Reaction Against God’s Instruction

1. “Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month
2. And there was no water for the congregation and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. 
3. And spake, saying, Would God that we had died when one brethren died before the Lord!
4. And why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and
5. And the Land spake unto our cattle should die there? Mines, saying,
6. Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes, and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
7. And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him
8. And Mows and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels, must we fetch you water out of this rock?
9. And Moses lifted up his hand and with his rod he smote the rock twice and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beam
10. And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
11. This is the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel strove with the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.”(Num. 20:1-13 KJV)

Would Moses, (whom the bible says is the meekest man) have rightly justified his own action, if he had complained to God that it was the people he greatly led. that made him angry, thereby smiting the rock twice instead of speaking to it according to God’s command? He knew he had no excuse. God denied him access into the promise land because he dishonored God.

• Anger which he wasn’t able to deal with, but has long being pushed into his subconscious, later surged forward and gained upper hand in him thus making him disobey God.

The Bible told us that that rock was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4-a fore-shadow of Christ) Moses, under the command of God, in a certain place one time had smitten the rock once to release water for the Israelites, and he needed not to strike it the second time because Christ could only be smitten (sacrificed) once before the release of the Holy Spirit (as the water of Life John 7:37-39, 4.14. 1 Cor. 10:4). His death on the cross and resurrection, are the reasons we enjoy the water of life night from when we got born again.

Anger Summary Of The Meekest Man-Moses

1. The meekest man-Numbers 12-3
2. In anger, he slew an Egyptian and buried him alone Exodus 2:11-12
3. In anger, he broke the tablets of commandment when he saw the Israelites practicing idolatry-Exodus 32.19
4. In anger, he disobeyed God when he struck the rock pence instead of speaking to the rock Numbers 20:9-12
5. Moses did not enter the promise land, God buried him alone (Deut. 34,5-6)
6. The anger he really didn’t deal with ended up knocking him off his race to the promise land

If unleashing anger publicly against our marriage partners, and especially in the presence of our parents or pastors, is considered to be highly disrespectful, how much more what Moses did or we do in God’s presence But suffice to say that every one of us is solely responsible for the actions or reactions we display to other people’s actions or provocations.

• He/she/they made me angry is not an excuse for justification when we break God’s commandment with anger.

The bible says,
Sensible people control their temper, they earn respect by overlooking wrongs (Proverbs 19:11 NLT)

Be Careful! God’s Anger Is Hotter Than Yours Moses Anger Versus God’s (Deut. 3:23-28)

“Then I pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying: 24 ‘O Lord God, I pray, let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, those pleasant mountains, and Lebanon. 26 “But the Lord was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me. So the Lord said to me: ‘Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah, and your eyes toward the west, the north, the south and the east behold it with your eyes, for you shall not cross over this Jordan 28. But command Joshua, and encourage him and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you will see”.

When I stumbled on this scripture, it really jumped at me, and it was as if someone just put it right there. 1 couldn’t recall reading this at all even when I read the Bible through for one and a half times, and severally in a random manner.

Wow! I really didn’t remember reading that Elder Moses went back to plead with God for forgiveness, and to request that He graciously rescind His decision for not allowing him to enter the Promise land.

One of the toughest things many ministers would find very difficult to do after committing a grievous sin against the Lord and the congregation, is to stand at the Altar and make their confession to God and publicly before their congregation. As for King David, he would do so as quickly and as soon as he was confronted. All his elders and his servants knew all about the sin he committed with Bathsheba and the ordeal with God, coupled with his humble quest for God’s forgiveness Sam 11-121-23) No wonder, he is forever referred to s “A man after God’s heart.”

But, for the meekest man Moses, who most probably didn’t seek for forgiveness immediately at the scene f disobedience, when he allowed the people he was leading to influence him against God specific instruction, God refused to listen to him when he lam sought His face to graciously allow him take the people across Jordan and to the Promise Land. Here is the summary of this incident as Prophet Moses soberly recounts his ordeal before the people who influenced him: (Num. 20:1-12)

1. He pleaded with God in a style of worship to allow him lead his people into the Promise Land-Des 3:23-25,
2. He told them that God was ANGRY with him because of them: “But the Lord was angry with me on your account,” and refused to listen to him. Vs. 26.
3. God angrily told him, it’s all over-Vs. 3.26:
4. God told Moses to take, for the last time, panoramic view of where he would have led the people to (there’s nothing as sorrowful as seeing the place one has labored and suffered for, and then denied access)- Vs 3:27
5. God told him to tell his next-in-command, Joshua to take over. Oh! How tough! Moses must have been a brave man to have listened to God at this point, to even “encourage and strengthen Joshua as the new leader who would cause the people to inherit the land” Vs. 28.

I think we all need to pray a prayer at this juncture, O LORD! Help me not to allow any external or internal challenge from anyone, especially those who are very close to me, influence me in any way to make me dishonor you and lose my position and the assignment you have anointed and ordained me for, in Jesus name.