Week 5: Angry at God

People become angry with God for many reasons:
- A romantic relationship falls apart
- A child walks away from Christ
- A current lifestyle or social status is disappointing
- A financial endeavor fails
- A business partner betrays and ruins
- A political savior isn’t elected
- A political savior is elected but then doesn’t follow through with the false or misinformed campaign promises used to trick you into voting for them
- A loved one falls ill or dies

Anger with God is never appropriate, but very real

He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. —1 Peter 2:22

“Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!” —Revelation 16:7b

Many people rage at God when He honors their choices and allows them to experience the outcomes of their action (or inaction)

And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before Yahweh, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. 6 And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 And the anger of Yahweh was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. 8 And David was angry because Yahweh had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. —2 Samuel 6:5–8

Uzzah’s death was caused by carelessness, indifference, distraction, dismissiveness, or re-definition

And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry. —Numbers 4:15

You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14 And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. 15 The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. —Exodus 25:13–15

When faced with a choice between anger at God or anger at our own negligence, the wise choose humble admission and tangible repentance

“Because you did not carry it the first time, Yahweh our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him according to the rule.” 14 So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel. 15 And the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of Yahweh. —1 Chronicles 15:13–15

When we are angry with God, our process should be honest confession of our disapproval of His choices, followed by a humble request for wisdom

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. —James 1:2–5