Today's
Word for Friday May 24, 2013
WRATH
DEFINITION:
Strong,
stern or fierce anger; rage; vengeance; deeply resentful; punishment; extreme
displeasure.
SCRIPTURE:
Cease
from anger, and forsake wrath. Psalm 37:8.
He
who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. John 3:36.
KNOWLEDGE
AND EXPERIENCE:
As
we look at the word "wrath" today we read in Matthew 3:7 that John
the Baptist used the word "wrath" when he saw many of the Pharisees
and Sadducees coming to see him as he was preaching and baptizing. John the
Baptist called them a "generation of vipers" and asked them "who
warned them to flee from the wrath to come?"
What is the "wrath to come" that John
the Baptist was talking about? It is the
wrath of God against sin. The wrath of
God is seldom talked about. People like
their concept of God to be a God of love, kindness, and peace. The question is often asked by non-believers
how a God that is holy can get angry and still be holy. It is God's holiness that requires that He
be a God of wrath. God cannot tolerate
sin and be holy. God hates sin and
therefore must condemn it and judge it.
It is because God is a God of love that He provided a way of escape from
the wrath of His judgment through His gift of salvation that He provided
through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross for the sins of everyone. It is because He is a God of love and
kindness that He is so patient with the ungodly and the wicked and gives them
every opportunity to repent of their sins and accept Jesus as their Lord and
Savior.
The
words in John 3:36 gives us a little insight into what is the reality of God's
wrath. In this passage the writer, John,
tells us that all who do not believe on the Son of God will
experience the wrath of God and not only
not spend eternity with God but will spend eternity in hell.
The
Bible also speaks to human wrath. Our
wrath differs from God's wrath. Our
wrath tends to be vindictive. God's
wrath is untainted and tempered by mercy. We have heard many people say that
life is not fair and indeed it is not. Any theory that insists that life is
fair is really deceptive. We have mentioned several times in prior devotionals
about David and the struggles that he had in his young life running from the
wrath of enemies who sought to kill him before he became king. He would be the first to tell you that for
him life was not fair. He had to live in caves and run from people who wanted
to kill him. He had reason to be angry, yet he was able to advise us to cease
from anger and forsake wrath (Psalm 37:8). He always survived because He put
his trust in the Lord.
In
Psalm 37, David gives his remedy for surviving in the midst of a world of
wrath.
• David trusted in the Lord (verse
3).
• David delighted himself in the Lord
(verse 4).
• David committed his way to the Lord
(verse 5).
• David waited on the Lord (verse 7).
• David refrained from anger and
forsook wrath (verse 8).
In Psalm 37: 9 it reads that
those who wait upon the Lord will inherit the earth. David had to learn to patiently wait upon the
Lord. As a result David had the victory and was able to refrain from wrath.
In
Ephesians 6:4 we have another admonition concerning wrath. We are admonished as
fathers and parents that we are not to provoke our children to wrath. Very
simply said, the lack of love, uncontrolled anger and constant harassment in
the home will provoke children to wrath.
Wrath
arouses the desire to retaliate. The lesson we learn from David is: Do not
react, just trust and wait. The apostle Paul gives us this same instruction in
Romans 12:19, 21, "For it is written, vengeance is mine, and I will repay
--- do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
The
key is controlling the intent of our heart. May we cease from anger in our
lives, forsake wrath at all costs, and wait patiently on the Lord. Someone once
said: “Revenge restrained is a victory gained.” This is easy to say but difficult
to do, but may we urge you today that when you get angry do not make
retaliation an option for your response, instead turn the other cheek and do
good. Then see what God will do for you.
LEARNING:
Our
memory verse for this week is found in John 3:16.
For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
PRAYER:
Give
me the courage and strength today, Lord, to be an example to my family and
friends by showing them a loving heart. Give me an opportunity to share with
someone the importance of eliminating anger in our lives. May each person that
I meet today realize that if they do not accept You as their Savior that they
will receive the wrath of God and will spend an eternity in hell.
