“I wish those who unsettle you would castrate themselves!”
Saint Paul – Galatians 5:12
You probably won’t find the above quotation on one of the pages of a Biblical “thought for the day” desk calendar or printed on a “precious promise” bookmark. Saint Paul was obviously very angry when he said it. He was watching those whom he loved succumb to something that would not benefit them. He no doubt felt like his good work among them was being undone by the bad advice they were receiving. And he was mad. The issue that provided the heat for his steam was whether or not a Gentile needed to become a practicing Jew in order to fully follow Jesus. Circumcision was being touted as the sign of being “all in” and Paul would have none of the attempt to convince Gentile followers of Jesus to undergo the procedure as proof of dedicated discipleship.
Anger is an emotion that is familiar to all of us. Yet as often as we feel it, why aren’t we more open to admitting we are experiencing it and more comfortable with the work of trying to get to the roots of it. The great tragedy is that we are much better at denying it or justifying it or suppressing it and letting it fester until finally it oozes out. And as a result of our suppression, justification or denial of anger we usually do a lot of damage. Damage not only to the ones on whom our rage is focused but also to ourselves.
The Bible does not avoid discussing anger. In fact, it is very good at voicing anger, telling stories about its effects and even giving us words to pray to God when we are angry. A quick overview of the Psalms lets us know that it is apparently OK to pray our anger. In fact it would not be difficult to assemble a compendium of the Psalms that one could title “Prayers for Pissed-Off People.” One Psalm that could be included this collection is Psalm 4. As the psalmist heads for bed the heat of his rage rises to the heavens. His fury and frustration are due to false accusations that wrongly dishonor him and cover him with shame. So he cries out to God to right this wrong and relieve his distress.
The pivot point of Psalm 4 is a piece of advice. A voice of reason offers a suggestion to all angry people:
Be angry, but sin not;
commune with your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
Psalm 4:4 (RSV)
In other words, “I know you’re angry. Who wouldn’t be angry in your situation? But for now be still. Sit with that anger for a while. Explore it. Ponder it as you drift off to sleep. Let some of the heat of that anger radiate into the heavens. As the earth cools, let yourself cool as well.” And then comes that word Selah. This word is there to provide direction for the liturgist who is chanting or the musicians who are accompanying this song, but it also becomes a signal to the hearer to act on the advice. Selah. Pause before you start the next line. Rest. Wait. Then, go talk to God:
Offer right sacrifices,
And put your trust in the Lord.
Psalm 4:5 (RSV)
There is an abundance of anger in the world right now. It fills our waking hours and crashes into our imaginations when we are trying to enter the silence that will help us to fall asleep. So, what do we do with our anger? Deny it? Go out and buy a gun and act on it? No. Pray it.
At odds with my world, I cry to you, O God. And as I cry, I am not just asking you to reverse my fortunes. The answer to my anger does not lie in you making me the winner and them the losers. It will be about resting in you and celebrating your abundance. It will be about a steadfast focus on the joy you have put in my heart and the assurance that this gift cannot be taken away. The confidence I have in this will see me through. The reliance on this unending source of abundance will enliven me even in my poverty and give me energy to persevere.
You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.
In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
(Psalm 4:7-8)
David Rohrer
10/16/2020