Anger’s Harbor – Leviticus 19: 15

Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.

How do we tell the difference between anger that has been harbored in someone’s heart and anger that is served up fresh each day?

Rich raised this question in response to yesterday’s post, “Hyperopia.” He posits a person who harbors “anger, revenge, [and/or] bad feelings toward someone in our family or inner circle.”

What does it mean to “harbor” something? A boat in a harbor has a place to stay protected from outside forces. The idea of harboring a feeling suggests that the person wants to keep the angry feeling alive. This kind of person nurtures a grudge and as Rich points out stews their bad feelings with thoughts of revenge.

In my post, “Anger’s End” we introduced Grumpy Bear. Grumpy Bear’s anger was not harbored. Every new day served up a fresh plate of frustration and anger. Every day the cause of his anger went unaddressed. It wasn’t until Grumpy Bear passed on that the reason came to light. It wasn’t his fault he was so grumpy. Anyone with an unhealed fracture would have felt the same.

Sadly, everyone assumed Grumpy Bear just had a bad attitude. Even the zookeepers were blind to why Grumpy Bear was grumpy. They did not see signs of his fractured leg because Grumpy Bear was able to “get by.” How many of us live in situations where those around us cannot or will not see the cause of our pain?

In “Hyperopia” we looked at a situation in Scripture where David closed his eyes to the danger that was closest to him. A man of unusual cunning and self-awareness, David temporarily set aside his responsibility to God and Israel so that he could indulge his feelings about Absalom.

In “Anger’s End” we looked at ways to resolve anger from a Biblical perspective. In the application portion of the post I wrote, “When confronted by anger in a Christian brother or sister, look for the hurt.” If we close our eyes to what is causing the hurt we might be suffering from hyperopia. If we blame the one who is being hurt because they are grumpy we might be guilty of something worse.

When Jesus confronted the Pharisees he already knew what was in their hearts. As God, he has that privilege and advantage. We know because God’s Word tells us that the Pharisees harbored ill will towards Jesus in their hearts. Their “hurt” was that Jesus did not grant them the respect that they thought their authority demanded. They appear to love themselves more than God which meets the qualification of “lovers of themselves” that Paul talks about in 2 Timothy 3:2.

For the rest of us, passing judgment on what is in another person’s heart is always a risky proposition. Only God knows for sure. Often we do not know what is in our own heart. Ironically, the one who sits in judgment on another may themselves be stirring up anger. Who is not incensed at being unjustly accused? If the accuser is someone they love and care for they are trapped. If they respond to the hurt they feel when falsely accused they risk hurting the one they love. If they walk away from the hurt they lose the one they love. The feeling of being trapped can itself be another source of frustration and anger. This kind of anger is not harbored but is given new life each time the unjust judgment happens.

As people, we operate blindly when it comes to seeing into another heart. We can know what people do, but we cannot know what they “harbor” in their hearts. What we can do as believers in Christ is seek to understand. This requires a willingness to engage in conversation. Sometimes this means a willingness to face the heat of anger.

Application: Next time you find yourself thinking that someone else is harboring ill will, double-check your motives. Are you qualified to judge a person’s heart?

Food for Thought: How can we apply the test that David and Jonathan used to discover Saul’s intentions to our own lives? (1 Samuel 20: 6-7)