Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry …
Summary: The danger of getting caught in sin because of anger is very real. Paul gives us a practical time limit to deal with our anger.
Perhaps you have heard these words Paul wrote but didn’t know he wrote them. Many of the sayings in the Bible have become ingrained in our culture. “Words of wisdom” from parents or grandparents often have their roots in the Bible. Sometimes these sayings are just nice to know.
“[T]he love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” (1 Timothy 6:10) is often mis-rendered, “Money is the root of all evil.” Even if you don’t hear the original, they both make sense and are “nice to know.”
Paul’s saying about the sun going down and being angry is not a “nice to know” kinds of wisdom. It is more of an “essential to know and follow” type of instruction. The sun going down is a specific point in time each day that was true in Paul’s day and is true today. It is a universal deadline that everyone can understand.
Paul is letting us know that anger is nothing to mess around with. If we sit on our anger, it becomes like a blister or a boil on the skin. The longer it sits untreated, the worse it gets. In time it can fester and become infected, endangering the whole body.
Anger is a poison. It shuts down our thinking and raises our blood pressure. Enough anger can make us sick.
Anger can feel powerful, and that feeling can be addictive. If the people around us are frightened by our anger, their fear feeds our feeling of power. Yet fear builds walls and causes other problems. A relationship rocked by anger and fear is sick. Untreated, this combination can lead to death — both spiritual and physical.
By giving us a deadline, Paul is telling us to “get over it!” How we do this is the question. We deal with anger by turning to God. If we give God our anger and trust him to handle it, we save ourselves from the risk of falling into a trap.
Application: When anger rears its head, stop everything and deal with it.
Food for Thought: What are strategies we can use to deal with anger when we find ourselves still angry at the end of the day?
What are strategies we can use to deal with anger when we find ourselves still angry at the end of the day?
Read the comments on Threeminutebible.com
Or not kill someone.
A –
Sound advice!! 🙂
AOB –
Great advice!! There are always good words to read in the comments here. 🙂
Step outside the anger bubble. Try to define why you are angry. What is it you wanted? Ask yourself if you are holding someone else to expectations that you don’t expect of yourself. Try to put the infraction to scale. What is the true impact? Where do you see this going? What do you stand to lose, and are you willing to lose it?
I find journaling helps. Just starting with “I am angry.” Why? This person did this. Why do you think they did that? What did you want? What do you believe you would have done? What could be the longterm effects if this remains unresolved?
All this is just to bring about humility in the situation. Then you can talk to Jesus about it, or if you are not ready for that, look up scripture that speaks to the specific answers you have come to. “Try” to justify what you are thinking in how Jesus dealt with adversity.
All this to say, you can’t kneel in the presence of God with a spear in your hand. Lay it down at the foot of the cross.
Proverbs 4:26-27 Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil
Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you;
he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Chris,
Thank you! Journaling is a powerful tool because it drags us back from the emotional cliff and re-engages our prefrontal cortex. As we write about what has happened we can be more logical about it. Logic helps us remember what God’s Word teaches and when we go there we find security and peace.
07-18-2023, What are strategies we can use to deal with anger when we find ourselves still angry at the end of the day?
Many books have been written on the subject of anger management. They have the power to cover all outward signs of anger, but lack the power to remove anger. Man’s methods are like polishing a car with a blown engine and expecting to get a better price for it, while God provides the power to repair the engine.
God speaks to anger in Proverbs12:18; 14:16, 17, 29; 15:1, 18; 16:32; 17:14; 19:11
Galatians 5:19-21, Paul lists a number of deeds of the flesh: enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, and envying,
Galatians 5:22-23 Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
God’s Word never commands us to do what we cannot do by the power of God’s indwelling Spirit and all believers in Jesus Christ have the indwelling Holy Spirit.
The key to moving from the deeds of the flesh to the fruit of the Spirit is written in Galatians 5:16, “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”
Ron,
I love your analogy of polishing the car with the blown engine! 🙂
The verses you share are fantastic, as is your point about relying on God’s wisdom and strength.
Thank you!
Two things that have always helped me: Prayer (it is hard to stay angry with someone you are praying for) and physical exercise.
Is it bad if the physical exercise is a punching bag or a form of violence?
The answer probably depends on where your friend’s mind is at. Remember, God sees what is in our hearts! (Matthew 5:21-22)
Good response Jeff. Yes, I have suggested a punching bag for people… and if it is just exercise that is great. If it is envisioning beating someone up, well then….
Great response, Rich!
Prayer humbles our heart and calms the mind. Exercise works off the adrenaline.