Ephesian 4:26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
Shabbat Shalom Baruch Ata/ Happy Sabbath and Bless The Name
My husband and I had a very bad disagreement on Friday that lasted through the night. It was so bad that we said things to each other that we later regretted. Before the night was over we both apologized to each other and agreed to work through our differences and makeup like most couples do after a huge fight. Before we made up I was not able to focus and function like I normally would. It was hard for me to work and have the mindset I needed to deal with my patients. It’s amazing how when a married couple fights it affects everything else that surrounded them; work, family, and mood, and so on.
When I think about how we did not go to bed angry no matter how bad it got between us. No matter how late it got we stayed up and worked it out before we fell asleep. I was reminded of the scripture Ephesian 4:26 “Be angry and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,” Anger is a natural human emotion that we all have from time to time. If someone wronged us it is natural for us to feel anger towards that person. But the other part of that scriptures tells us to be angry but sin not. What exactly does this mean? When we allow the anger to fester and it grows into rage we give place to the devil to use us. “We should settle our differences as soon as possible, so Ha-Satan/Satan has no opportunity to take advantage of us”. (Smith 1996). As a therapist myself, I know how important it is not going to bed angry. Why is this important? In a marriage going to be angry can kill the intimacy between husband and wife. And if the intimacy is gone everything else begins to go downhill. And this is a good way for Ha-Satan/Satan to feed more fuel to the fire. However, we should not ignore when we are angry and keep our feeling bottled up inside. This will cause us to begin to resent and have bitterness towards the person we are angry at.
I’m grateful that we were able to settle our differences before going to sleep. Yes, it got ugly and some things needed to be said for us to mature as a married couple. When used correctly anger helps us deal with emotions that we normally would not face if everything is okay. It also okay to express your anger when someone wronged you because holding it in will cause more negative feelings to emerge. And the next time that situation arises again you may explode.
In closing, I encourage you to express your anger in a way that it does not become sinful. Remember that it is okay to feel anger. One example that comes to mind is when Yeshua became angry when he saw the moneychangers within the temple and yelled out "My Father's house is to be called a house of prayer. You have made it a den of thieves”. As believers, we should be angry at the unrighteousness, evil, and the bigotry we see in today’s society. Anger should motivate us to bring about a change within ourselves, families, community, and lastly the world.
Shabbat Shalom
Your sister/ Achot
Shakina
References:
Smith, C. (1 Jun, 2005). C2000 Series on Ephesians 4 by Chuck Smith. Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/smith_chuck/c2000_Eph/Eph_004.cfm
Smith, C. (1 Mar, 1996). Study Guide for Ephesians by Chuck Smith. Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/smith_chuck/StudyGuides_Ephesians/Ephesians.cfm
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