Read Psalm 7
Highlight verse: ‘Rise up, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my adversaries; awake for me; you have ordained a judgement.’
(Psalm 7:6 CSB)
Do you ever think of God as an angry God? Or even a God who is capable of anger?
Many view God as a purely loving, humble, gracious God who forgives endlessly and never executes judgement against those who do wrong.
On the other hand, some may view God as always angry! Watching down on us from His throne and shaking His head in contempt of humanity.
It is my understanding from scripture – and this psalm – that God is neither extreme. He displays characteristics of each extreme (such as having the capacity for both love and anger) but cannot be summed up by one or the other.
I would never presume to explain the character of God to you in one devotional, the depths of God are far too rich and complex for me to even try. But I would love to shine a light on one concept where God is concerned that I believe is important – the anger of God.
‘Rise up, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my adversaries; awake for me; you have ordained a judgement.’
(Psalm 7:6 CSB)
If you are in the camp that doesn’t believe that God has the capacity to display or harbour anger as He is God and far above such human emotion and weakness, I would beg you to look carefully at scripture and consider rethinking your rationale.
Let me explain myself, take a look at Proverbs 6:16-19:
‘There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.’
All of these seven things that the Lord hates – and dare I say make him angry? – can be summed up in one word: injustice. Arrogance, lies, murder, wickedness, evil, bearing false witness and stirring up conflict all rouse the wrath of God. He hates them!
It would be foolish of us then to believe that, when God encounters such behaviour or intent, He does nothing.
I raise this point in today’s devotion to encourage us that we serve a God of justice. David knew this and this is why he cried out to God to vindicate him in his hour of need. When we encounter injustice in our lives, we can rest assured that God sees it and will act justly in accordance with His character.
Action: Look up the words ‘justice,’ ‘just’ and ‘fair.’ How do these definitions give you confidence in God as a just and fair God?
