Anger - Ecclesiastes 7-8

 Ecclesiastes 7:9 (ESV)

Be not quick in your spirit to become angry,

for anger lodges in the heart of fools.

Now that is a truth we should wrap our hearts and souls around, quickly!   The anger in our heart will lead to destructive behavior in our lives.   Solomon is telling us a truth that few really grasp at the day-to-day level of living.   We do not fully grasp the dangers of anger.   There is a reason that the following verses were written about us and anger.  Outside of it damaging to our relationship with God, look what God says about anger:

 

Ephesians 4:26 (ESV)

26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

Matthew 5:21-22 (ESV)

21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Romans 12:19-21 (ESV)

19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

James 1:19-20 (ESV)

19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Colossians 3:8 (ESV)

8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

Nahum 1:3 (ESV)

3 The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

1 Timothy 2:8 (ESV)

8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;

This last one from Paul’s pen to Timothy’s life is very revealing.   When we are angry, are we really in our fullest worship to God?   We can’t, at the same tim, worship God and be angry at mankind.   Solomon states that we are foolish if we think that anger will not crush our spirit.  It literally “rest” in our hearts.  The word “rest” in the above proverb is the same word God used to say Noah’s ark “rested” on the mountain.  It is a word that is often used to “rest” at the end of hard battle or day or situation.   The point Solomon is making is that if we are not carful, anger can put its feet up on our emotional footstool and stay there.   He states it is foolish to allow that to happen.   The only thing that happens after that is certain destruction of the heart, soul and eventually the behaviors of life.   Anger resting in the soul will steal the joy in the heart.