Isaiah 1:1, Isaiah 1:10-20 [show]Isaiah 1:10-20 [10]Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching(1) of our God, you people of Gomorrah! [11]"What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. [12]"When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? [13]Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations-- I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. [14]Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. [15]When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. [16]Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, [17]learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause. [18]"Come now, let us reason(2) together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. [19]If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; [20]but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken." Footnotes 1. [1:10] Or 'law' 2. [1:18] Or 'dispute'

Last Sunday, from the Old Testament book of Hosea, the sermon was on “The Sorrows of God.” For two thousand years the Christian doctrine of God has used concepts from Greek philosophy, speaking of God as omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. Given such imperial and impersonal characteristics, Christian theologians added that God is incapable of suffering. The Bible, however, reveals the sorrows and the sufferings of God. God, it says, is love. Today we consider another, and a more familiar quality of God.

You wonder, have people always believed in the anger of God? Jonathan Edwards, born in Connecticut in 1705 into a strict Puritan family, would help bring about the Great Awakening.

He is primarily remembered for one sermon: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” which pictured unrepentant sinners in the torments of hell. He said, “The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect, over the fire, abhors you and is dreadfully provoked.” The revivalism of the Great Awakening was fueled largely by fear of this angry God. Unfortunately, the faith of many people before and since has been rooted in fear, too often instilled in childhood. You say, But the Bible says “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Ps 111.10 [show]Psalm 111:10 [10]The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!
)  Yes. But the word is just as properly translated “reverence” or “respect.” “Reverence for the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Psalm 27 [show]Psalm 27 The LORD Is My Light and My Salvation Of David. [27:1]The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold(1) of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? [2]When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. [3]Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet(2) I will be confident. [4]One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire(3) in his temple. [5]For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. [6]And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the LORD. [7]Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! [8]You have said, "Seek(4) my face." My heart says to you, "Your face, LORD, do I seek."(5) [9]Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation! [10]For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me in. [11]Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. [12]Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence. [13]I believe(6) that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! [14]Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! Footnotes 1. [27:1] Or 'refuge' 2. [27:3] Or 'in this' 3. [27:4] Or 'meditate' 4. [27:8] The command ('seek') is addressed to more than one person 5. [27:8] The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain 6. [27:13] Other Hebrew manuscripts 'Oh! Had I not believed'
says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” True faith cannot be fear-based any more than true love can be fear-based.

Hosea, from last week, was a prophet in the northern kingdom. Isaiah was a prophet in Judah, the southern kingdom where Jerusalem was located. It was a bad time in Judah. Not only was it threatened by enemy nations, but spiritually it was in trouble, too. Why? First, they presumed on God’s favor, believing their chosen status bound them to the covenant with ties that could not be broken. Second, they believed they were fulfilling their covenant obligations by observing the ritual of cult and sacrifice. Third, they believed that God would never allow Jerusalem to be captured or destroyed. Far from “fearing” or reverencing God, they were totally infatuated with their privileged identity.

What we have in this first chapter of Isaiah is the equivalent of a courtroom trial. One commentator calls this chapter “The Great Arraignment.” The heavens and the earth are the jury. God is the plaintiff. The people of Jerusalem and Judah are the defendants. The prophet Isaiah is the narrator, who refers to the people as Sodom and Gomorrah. “Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!” God says, “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of he-goats.” God is angry. “Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. . . . I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates.” God is not happy!

We come in this passage to familiar words. “’Come, let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’” Ah, a note of hope. Hold on. The scholars, and even the Baptists’ Broadman Commentary, say this is a mistranslation. These are not words of comfort, but a part of the indictment. “Come, let us reason together” means “Come let us make our cases against each other. If your evil deeds are like scarlet, do you think they are going to be judicially deemed white as snow? If they are red like crimson, what court is going to call them white as wool?” In other words, “Don’t you see that you have no case? Are you blind to the truth about your guilt?”

Anger per se cannot be a sin, despite being listed among the Seven Deadly Sins. First, there is no sin in God, and God gets angry. Second, there was no sin in Jesus, and Jesus got angry. Third, the Bible distinguishes between anger and sin. Psalm 4:4 [show]Psalm 4:4 [4]Be angry,(1) and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah Footnotes 1. [4:4] Or 'Be agitated'
reads: “Be angry, but sin not.” Paul liked it enough to borrow it. In Ephesians 4:26 [show]Ephesians 4:26 [26]Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, (ESV)
, he writes: “Be angry but do not sin.”

How, then, can we be angry without committing sin? Do you know what righteous indignation is? Righteous indignation is when I am angry! Seriously, righteous indignation, is largely an ideal, I think, except for Jesus. We need to be very slow in seeing our indignation as justified, much less as righteous. It is when we cool off that we may see it for what it is.

We need to see that anger is natural. Most of the time anger is fueled by self-protective impulses. We need to be very cautious when we find our angry feelings focusing on an individual. For the most part, we cannot help what we feel. If we are trustworthy enough not to be incarcerated, however, we can determine how we will act on our feelings. We can use the energy produced by anger in destructive ways or in redemptive ways.

God’s anger always has a redemptive purpose. Unlike human anger, the divine anger seeks to be redemptive, not destructive. What does God want from the people of Judah? Listen.

After the diatribe, God says: “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” At last, there is an expression of hope. “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword.”

Two things, then, specifically for our life together. First, as the people of Jesus Christ, we need to learn how to commit our anger to God. One consequence of this will be the willingness to “speak the truth in love.” The phrase is Paul’s, the spirit is Christ’s. There is a way to take care of your anger toward someone else. “Speak the truth in love.” You have no control over what happens, but if your anger is poisoning you, you owe it to yourself to go to your sister or brother in truthfulness and love.

Second, as people of Jesus Christ, we need to learn how to respond to anger. Myron Madden used to tell ministers, “If you can take people’s anger, you can heal people.” In other words, don’t react to it. Don’t retaliate. Take it.  Just take it. It may not even be about you. It is God-like to take it. Isn’t this what Jesus meant about “turning the other cheek”? Listen. Care. See what happens.

Finally, one last verse from the Psalms. Psalm 30:5 [show]Psalm 30:5 [5]For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime.(1) Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. Footnotes 1. [30:5] Or 'and in his favor is life'
– “God’s anger is but for a moment, but God’s favor is for a lifetime.”

Prayer: O God, we offer ourselves to you – - – even our anger. By the miracle of grace, transform it into creative energy for serving your kingdom. Amen.

C. David Matthews  /  Royal Lane Baptist Church  /  Dallas, Texas 75230  /  8.8.10