Week 32: Wrath
Weekly Chapters:
Isaiah 58-Jeremiah 14
Passage of the Week:
Jeremiah 5:20-31
Noun:
1. Strong, stern, piercing hurt
2. Resentful indignation
3. Vengeance or punishment as a consequence of anger
Thesaurus:
· Extreme Anger
· Rage
· Hatefulness
· Resentment
· Fury
· Vengeance
· Hate
Father God,
Let me understand wrath. Not only my feelings of wrath but the feelings of others who feel wrath against me. Give me a glimpse into their world so that I can empathize with them.
Amen
Authentic vulnerability:
We’ve all felt it, overwhelming anger, resentment, indignation.
I know I have. But, I have also been on the other side of wrath and have felt it against me.
I remember when my current company purchased us. We were still learning the ways of the new company. We had a new HR manager hired right before the buyout. She was struggling with it as much, if not more, than we all were.
There was a team member hired as a helper to another team member on a part-time basis. Soon after, the person she was supporting moved to a new role, and she found herself now in a full-time position with no helper.
As a manager, I asked her how she was doing and if she was getting help. I said that we could help to bring a temporary worker if that would help.
The HR manager overheard me and called me into her office. She was furious with me, so enraged that she was shaking, and she told me I had no right to step on her toes. That she was working on it, and it was none of my business. I explained that I would help in this matter in the past company by getting temporary help where needed but understood this was a new situation and would not do so in the future. What struck me was complete wrath that she expressed – so angry that she was shaking. I do not think my action was what caused the anger. There’s likely something else, insecurity or otherwise. I realize it is not my job to judge but to seek to understand.
What is your Authentic Truth?
Study:
Fed up, completely and utterly fed up, God was over it. He was so fed up that he could not look at his people anymore. Now this time, he had had it.
Time over time, God had warned his people. At the beginning of Jeremiah, he starts slow, saying that his people only feel shame when caught (Jeremiah 2:26). He said people were like prostitutes wanting those who could meet an immediate need (Jeremiah 3).
God said he wanted His people back. He wanted his people, but they continued to be unfaithful (Jeremiah 3:19). He warned of His anger (Jeremiah 4:4), saying to change or His rage would be like an unquenched fire.
In Jeremiah 5:22-31, God speaks of His peoples ignoring His power. The Israelite’s fear of God‘s might is gone. They no longer respect His power. Even the sea respects the hand of God, going no further than God will allow.
His people were stubborn, and they allow their desires for sin to overpower their love and respect for God.
The Israelites would seek fortunes and power in favor of others rather than God. They would mistreat others and take advantage of those who were weak.
In Jeremiah 5:31, God was so disappointed with his people, he said that His priests would no longer look to God, would provide false prophecies, rule with an iron hand. Worse, His people would like it that way. What does this mean for the future?
God‘s wrath is strong, His anger hot, His ability to forgive waning. He feels violated and not respected, and it was so.
Our wrath and anger are similar. We are angered because we feel disrespected, not loved, not valued just as God felt. We similarly express our anger and wrath. We have choices on the other side of wrath and anger.
What part did I play?
What did my words or actions do to incite anger?
How did my behavior influence the situation?
How can I understand someone else’s anger?
What behaviors can I enlist to defuse the situation?
What words can I use, and how can I honor my words?
There are times when others behaviors may not have played any part, and this is when we need to ask different questions:
When have I ever felt this way?
What would I have wanted in a response?
How can I empathize with this person at this moment?
In short, how can I find a way to express love, understanding, and empathy without sacrificing my boundaries?
It’s not easy to feel attacked verbally and respond with loving words or loving boundaries. For example, I understand you are angry with me, the situation, etc.; what can I do to put you at ease? Know that I will not agree to anything that would sacrifice your health, mental stability, or well-being. Ask what he/she could be experiencing that would make him/her feel this way?
Pray for guidance.
Father God,
Thank you for illustrating Your wrath and anger and why You felt this way. When You allow us to see human emotions from our Almighty God, we understand where we need to be and how we need to live. Give us the strength of love and understanding.
Amen.
Homework:
Find some loving words that will help you in the future to defuse anger with love without sacrificing your boundaries. See the questions above and think about these when you feel the anger or wrath from someone else.
