March 27, 2025
Though Dwight Eisenhower grew up to command an army and become President of the United States, he had an explosive temper as a child. On one occasion, when his parents would not let him participate in an activity with his older brothers, he flew into a rage. Running outside, he began pounding his fists into an apple tree. It wasn’t long before his father came along, administered corporal punishment, and sent him to his room without supper.
Soon thereafter, his mother came in, cleaned and bandaged his hands, and then read Proverbs 16:32: “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty.” It was at that moment that he made a monumental decision. For the rest of his life, he would control his anger and not let it control him.
Certainly, there’s a time and place for righteous anger. Jesus expressed anger on a few occasions, most notably when he cleansed the temple of unscrupulous money changers. He even cracked a whip and overturned tables.
Typically, however, anger leads to unhappy endings. As Ben Franklin said, “Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame.” Returning to the Bible, let’s focus on the prophet Jonah. Although he’s best known for being swallowed by a big fish, anger is what really defined him. Asked by God to go to the wicked city of Nineveh, he fled in the other direction. Eventually, he answered the call and preached in Nineveh, resulting in the conversion of 120,000 souls. Examining the call of this reluctant prophet, note the following dangers associated with anger.
Anger will steal your joy - Jonah should have been thrilled about such a harvest. What preacher wouldn’t be? Instead, he was greatly displeased and became angry (Jonah 4:1). He was a prideful, prejudiced Jew who didn’t like the idea of God extending grace to these pagan Gentiles.
I’ve seen too many believers who look like they just took a big swig of pickle juice, especially in these polarizing times in which we live. Don’t let anger jeopardize the abundant life God desires for you.
Anger will drain your energy - Following the revival, Jonah went east from the city, made a shelter for himself, and sat down under a shelter. Of course,e he was drained after three days of preaching, yet anger no doubt exasperated the issue. I’ve discovered that if I get angry about something, not only does it throw me off spiritually, but it often wipes me out physically as well.
Anger will distort your outlook - Jonah got so upset that he asked God to take his life. Later, he showed great compassion for a plant that provided shade while caring little for the thousands of lost residents in Nineveh.
Anger has that effect, causing us to major on the minors, while often neglecting the main thing. What cataracts do to the eyes, anger does to the soul.
Anger will stifle your opportunities, paralyzing productivity and stunting your spiritual growth. Twice in one verse (4:5), we’re told Jonah simply “sat” (4:5). Why not go back into the city, follow up on the great awakening and enjoy the fruit of his work? Instead, he told God, “I have good reason to be angry, even to death” (4:9).
Jonah may very well have carried his pride and anger to the grave. Don’t let that happen to you. Release it and experience a peace that only Jesus can provide.
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Todd Gaddis is a semi-retired minister living in Athens. He continues to serve as an interim pastor and can be reached at jtoddgaddis@gmail.com.
