Angry With God?

During a discussion recently, the topic of conversation turned to one not often addressed:  being angry with God.  My friend observed he had noticed an increasing number of students and interns in Bible schools who claim to be currently "angry with God" like it is a badge of honour and justifiable.  For some time he noticed a growing trend - among professing Christians - who said they were angry with God.  That brings up a question:  is it OK to be angry with God?

The scripture says of anger in Ephesians 4:26, "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath..."  Whilst it is possible to be angry without sin, this scripture reveals it is impossible for us to remain angry without sin.  Solomon cautioned in Ecclesiastes 7:9, "Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools."  Frequent anger is an indication of foolishness, and a fool is someone who lives without regard or fear of God.  We would like to think we bristle with righteous indignation when we are angry, yet often the reality is anything but.

Scripture reveals times when God's anger was stirred up, and with the ridiculous caricatures of God often presented the occurrences are far more rare than one might think.  David wrote in Psalm 7:11, "God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day."  When God perceives wickedness in His people, His righteous anger is aroused.  In Deuteronomy 9:20, God was very angry with Aaron the High Priest for leading the nation into idolatry.  God was angry with Moses for not sanctifying Him before the people (Deut. 1:37; 4:21).  1 Kings 11:9 reads, "So the LORD became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice..."  To whom much is given much is required, and God's anger is aroused by sinfulness - not just among those who know not God, but to those He has revealed Himself.  Sin is the fuel and man supplies the fire through unbelief and sin which kindles the anger of God.  God's anger is provoked as a result of sin.

Our common motives for being angry are primarily selfish, usually concern over how we have been negatively affected by circumstances.  Since we are not in agreement or pleased with what God has seen fit to allow, we can become angry.  When Abel's sacrifice was accepted and Cain's was rejected, Cain was angry.  Whether he was specifically angry with God is not explicitly revealed in the text, but God warned Cain how sinful anger leads to more sin.  Genesis 4:6-7 says, "So the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? ⁷ If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."  In the very next verse, Cain murdered his brother Abel.  Whenever we are angry, we do well to answer the question:  why am I angry?  Anger is often inflamed with sinful motives, and unless we repent it will surely lead to greater sin.

Another case of anger in God's people was after Jonah the prophet was sent by God to warn the Ninevites of coming judgment.  When they repented and mourned over their sin, God spared the people and the city.  Jonah 4:1 tells us Jonah's surprising reaction:  "But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry."  Was Jonah angry at God?  Maybe.  Jonah complained God was slow to anger and relented from doing harm.  He felt so miserable it would be better for him to die than live.  In Jonah 4:4 God responded with a probing question:  "Then the LORD said, "Is it right for you to be angry?"  As Jonah continued to sulk and watched to see what would become of the city, God caused a plant to grow which shaded his head from the sun.  He was grateful for that!  During the night God prepared a worm to eat the plant and it died.  When the sun arose, God prepared a strong wind to blow on Jonah and he wished for death.  Jonah 4:9 says, "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!"  It was not right for Jonah to be angry, and that is why He provided the plant, the worm, and the strong wind.  And when faced with his sinful anger over a plant, Jonah decided he would rather die than let it go.  When we hold on to sinful anger, it will eventually kill us.

There is only one instance in the Gospels I am aware of the Bible explicitly says Jesus Christ, God made flesh, was angry.  If you are thinking about when Jesus fashioned a whip and drove out the money-changers and animals, it was zeal the scripture tells us - not anger - prompted Him.  Since the scriptures do not explicitly say Jesus was angry on those two occasions, to say He must have been angry is conjecture at best and false accusation at worst.  It is also thought when Jesus "groaned" in His spirit before He raised Jesus from the dead, the Greek word suggests anger.  It is likely Jesus was angry many times (and moved by righteousness), but Jesus once was angry in the Gospels out of grief for the hardness of people's hearts, that they cared more for their animals than for a fellow man who was suffering.  We find the passage in Mark 3:1-5:  "And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. ² So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. ³ And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward." ⁴ Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they kept silent. ⁵ And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other."

When we are angry we do well to first admit we are angry, and then ask ourselves the questions God posed:  1) Why am I angry? 2) Is it right for me to be angry? We can also follow up with:  3) Am I choosing to remain angry?  If we will judge ourselves according to God's standard of righteousness, we will see there is never a righteous justification to be angry at a righteous God.  Because God's anger is only kindled by sin, and God is completely without sin, it is always a sin to be angry with God.  But you do not know what I've suffered, you might protest.  You're right.  I have no idea.  But I do know Job is a great example of a man who recognised God's goodness despite the grave trials he suffered, and there is no one save Christ who can claim such calamities befell them by the hand of God in a single day.  After Job was stripped of all his wealth, ten children, and his health, Job 2:9-10 says, "Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!" ¹⁰ But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips."

Oh burdened heart, do not be angry at the only One who can deliver and save you!  No man can be angry at God justly.  Praise God His character is precisely as Jonah said:  "You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm."  If you find yourself angry with God, I beg you to confess it as sin and cast your cares upon Jesus who cares for you.  Is it right for you to be angry when Jesus willingly went to the cross, dying to deliver you from sinful anger?  Our anger cannot add to His when it comes to sin.  Remaining angry only kindles God's wrath, and repentance and faith in Christ provides our only escape.