Dogs of Wrath, The: Part 5

India sat in the pew next to Bruce, letting Reverend Mel’s deep, resonant voice sooth all of her worries. It was Sunday morning and she had decided to go to church as she had for most of her life. She had gone rain or shine for the past ten years, no matter how she felt and she was not about to break that custom.

“Now today,” said Reverend Mel, “I am going to take a sermon from Melvin Newland at the Church of Christ. This sermon is about anger.”

“We all experience anger, whether it be anger about someone cutting you off on the highway, or anger about your favorite team losing a game.” The assembly chuckled, for Reverend Mel doted on his Yankees. “Or even anger,” continued the Reverend, “because you got up on the wrong side of the bed that morning. Anger is human. But if you wish to live a godly life, you must learn to not let your anger take control. This story comes from the late 1800’s.”

“Alfred Lord Tennyson invited a Russian nobleman to his estate,” said Reverend Mel. “And early one morning, this nobleman took off with dogs and guns and servants to go hunting.”

“At mid-day he returned and Lord Tennyson asked him how he did. He answered, ‘Not very well. I shot two peasants.’ Lord Tennyson thought for a moment and then said, ‘No, we pronounce it with a “ph” here. It is “pheasants.” You shot two pheasants.’”

“‘No,’ the nobleman replied, ‘I shot two peasants. They were insolent towards me, so I shot them.’”

The crowd chuckled. Reverend Mel waited for the laughter to die down, and then continued his sermon. “Now we smile in disbelief at a story like that,” he said. “But last year, a driver in Philadelphia shot another driver on the highway. There was a construction blockage on the road, narrowing traffic down to only one lane, creating long backups as cars from each direction took turns getting past the blockage.”

“Well, this driver patiently waited his turn, as he should, according to the rules of the road. But just as he was about to get past the blockage, a car came up fast on the shoulder, passing all the waiting cars, and crowded just in front of him. Then after doing that, the driver turned around with a smirk on his face and made an obscene gesture.”

“Well, that infuriated the first driver. So when traffic was stopped at the next construction bottleneck, he got out of his car, took out his gun and shot the man in front of him to death.”

The assembly gasped again. Some of the young boys in the assembly laughed quietly and promptly received smacks on the head from their mothers. Reverend Mel lowered his head in respect for the fallen driver, prompting the assembly to do also. Soon, he spoke again. “That happened in Philadelphia. But stories like that have popped up all over the country.”

“Now, of course, we wouldn’t do anything like that, we say. But have you ever lost your temper? Do you ever do things you wish you hadn’t done, or say things you wish you had never said? Yes, of course you do. I do as well. We’re human.”

“But the Bible has something to say about overcoming anger. Proverbs 19:11 says, ‘A man’s wisdom gives him patience. It is to his glory to overlook an offense.’”

Reverend Mel’s voice became louder, and more urgent. “Now there is the secret, isn’t it? If someone offends you, and if you are a man of wisdom, a man of God, then you can overlook it, and not allow the situation to become a major event that overwhelms you.”

“As I studied the Bible this week about the subject of anger, I discovered that there are four types of anger dealt with in the Bible.”

Reverend Mel lifted his index finger. “First of all, there is sudden anger. The Bible says that sudden anger is to be controlled.”

Reverend Mel lifted his middle finger. “Secondly, there is sinful anger. The Bible says that sinful anger is to be condemned.”

Reverend Mel lifted his ring finger, displaying a plain golden wedding band. “Thirdly, there is stubborn anger. Stubborn anger is to be conquered.”

The reverend lifted his pinky finger. “Finally, there is sanctified anger. And sanctified anger is to be channeled.”

Reverend Mel closed his hand and returned to the pulpit. “So this morning, let’s look at each of those 4 types of anger.”
“First of all, there is sudden anger and the Bible says that sudden anger is to be controlled. There is no compromise on this. If you become angry suddenly, you must, you must, you must control it. Proverbs 14:17 says, ‘A quick-tempered man does foolish things.’ We already knew that because we’ve experienced that in our own lives. We’ve had it hammered into us since we were little children. But as adults, we may have forgotten it, one of the most basic lessons. Even as we hammer it into our children, we ignore the words that come from our own mouths. But that is no excuse. We may blame our quick temper on our red hair. Or we may blame it on our heritage. After all, we’re Irish or something like that and our father, or mother or grandparent was quick to anger. We may even be proud of it because it helps us motivate people to get things done.”

“But the bottom line is, if we have a short fuse, we’re going to do a lot of foolish things. When we lose our temper we’ll say things we know we shouldn’t have said, and do things that we’re going to be sorry for later on. Once it is unleashed, you can’t control sudden anger.”

India squirmed, as if the Reverend was looking straight at her and seeing into her soul. Bruce felt this and placed his arm around her small shoulder, trying to comfort her. She smiled up at him, her brilliant grin concealing the torment that was going on inside of her.

Reverend Mel, oblivious to this drama, resolutely marched on. “Next, Proverbs 15:18 says, ‘A hot tempered man stirs up dissension.’ That simply means that if you have a short fuse, if you’re always losing your temper, if you’re walking around with a chip on your shoulder, if you’re just looking for somebody to say something that will irritate you, then you’re going to leave a trail of hurt feelings and unhappiness behind you. And yes, perhaps even fear.”

“Will Rogers said, ‘Whenever you fly into a rage, you seldom make a safe landing.’ And he is right.”

“Chuck Swindoll said, ‘I got so angry that I gave him a piece of my mind. And it was a piece that I couldn’t afford to lose.’”

“The writer of Proverbs said, ‘A hot temper stirs up dissension.’ And they’re all right. Being angry all the time just gets people angry at you.”

“Proverbs 18:13 says, ‘He who answers before listening - that is his folly and his shame.’ He is talking about jumping to conclusions. We hear just a little bit of what is said, and we instantly jump to a conclusion, and oftentimes it is the wrong conclusion. This happens far too much in today’s world, and a lot of it is done by our children and our teenagers.”

The younger members of the congregation squirmed in discomfort, and Reverend Mel smiled, happy to have garnered the reaction he was looking for. “Have you heard about the dog named ‘August’ who was always trying to chase a mule named ‘Conclusion?’ One day he jumped at Conclusion and bit him, and Conclusion kicked back at August. And that was the last day of August. Think about that for a moment.” The congregation chuckled and Reverend Mel waited patiently for the laughter to die down.

“Sometimes we jump to conclusions, and Solomon says that it is to our folly and our shame.”

“Proverbs 19:19 says, ‘A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty.’ We’re being told that almost every day. Doctors tell us that losing our temper consistently brings about high blood pressure, dryness of mouth, and a fast-beating heart. It could even bring pre-mature death. We, as Black people are already at higher risk of these ailments, these dis-eases than our lighter skinned White and Hispanic acquaintances. And we know this far too well. Yet we continue to get angry and lose our temper. The result? Too many Black men and women dying long before it is their time to go to God.”

The assembly nodded and murmured their ascension. Reverend Mel continued at a slower pace, “A hot temper could also mean loss of family and friends. The penalties of losing our temper are many.”

“So the Bible says, "If you have a sudden temper, then you need to control it." But how can we do that?”

“You say, Why, I just can’t control my temper. It gets away from me. I’ve tried before and I always failed.’ But you can and I’ll tell you how to do this in a minute. Have you ever found yourself engaged in a heated discussion with your voice getting louder and your words are becoming more rapid, your blood pressure is rising? Then the telephone rings and you can say, ‘Hello,’ in a calm voice without a hint of the anger that was filling your veins just a second ago. Sure, you can control your temper.”

“So we need to recognize that we have a problem with temper. As long as we deny it, as long as we blame it on heritage or short-fuse or whatever we choose to blame it on, we’ll never improve. The first step to solving any problem is acknowledging that it exists!”

The congregation nodded and assented once more. “If you agree, then what do you think the first step should be? Yes, we must confess our problem to God and ask for His help. Pray with me.” The congregation members bowed their heads. “Lord, I’m beginning to lose my temper, and I’ve done it many times before. Please help me see what is causing it to happen, and then help me to overcome it.”

“The Bible teaches that when the Holy Spirit guides our life, that one fruit of the spirit is self control. And if you have a sudden temper, you need to control it.”

“The second type of anger discussed in scripture is sinful anger. Not all anger is sinful, and we’ll talk about that in just a minute. But some anger is. So let me give you some tests this morning to help you determine whether your anger is sinful or not.”

“In Matthew 5:21, Jesus says, ‘You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.” But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.’”

India fidgeted in guilt and shame, feeling as though the Reverend had written this sermon just for her. For the first time, she regretted coming to church. The reverend continued at full steam. “Now that passage tells us some things about anger that should help us realize when our anger is sinful and when it is not.”

“Notice first of all that it says, ‘Anyone who is angry with his brother.’ Now if you’re a brother or sister to someone it indicates that you are a member of the same family, whether a domestic family or the family of God.

“If we’re brothers and sisters, we ought to be lifting each other up, supporting and helping each other. We should not spend our time being angry at one another.”

“The King James Version speaks about being angry at your brother ‘without a cause.’ If we are angry and don’t have a legitimate reason for being angry, then this tells us that our anger is sinful. I know that you are angry at your relations a lot. The last time you were angry at a family member, why were you angry?”

Reverend Mel scanned the crowd and saw many embarrassed faces. He leaned on his pulpit heavily. “I’ll tell you why. It was a trivial reason. Something that you didn’t need to fight over, but it just got stacked up on top of all of the other stuff that had happened that day and, next thing you know, you and you brother or your sister are yelling at each other, about to come to blows. Your anger, your fight had no real reason, no basis or grounds of any importance.”

Reverend Mel scanned the congregation again and saw that almost without fail, every single member was furtively studying the ground, afraid to meet his eyes. The sole exception was old Mrs. Brands, who was derisively known as “Saint Brands,” behind her back. As far as anyone knew, Mrs. Brands had never broken the 10 Commandments, nor ever done anything even the slightest bit immoral for any reason. Even in situations where an immoral solution seemed to be the only way out, Mrs. Brands always was able to find another solution or she simply ignored the problem and pretended it didn’t exist. She was the closest thing to Jesus that had ever walked the Earth (with the obvious exception of Jesus) and it was generally accepted that she was a better person than Mother Teresa had been.

“But there is another reason that you shouldn’t get angry at your brother. If you’re angry at your brother that indicates that you are focusing your anger on a person. We should never focus our anger on people, but rather on the sins they commit.”

“Jesus was never angry at people, but He was angry at their sins. So look beyond the person. We must love the person, but hate their sin. No matter how horrible a person seems to be, do not get angry at the person, but get angry at their sins.”

“So if you’re angry at your brother, if you’re focusing on a person, then that means that your anger is sinful.”

Reverend Mel surveyed the assembly. “Now in Romans 12:19 Paul says, ‘Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.’”

India shifted again, now more uncomfortable than before. Reverend Mel finally saw her writhing and wondered what was the cause, as did Bruce. “So the third test of our anger is this: Is it anger that seeks revenge? Are we always trying to get even? The Bible teaches that God is the one who has the right of vengeance. Not us. ‘Vengeance is mine,’ says the Lord. We don’t have the right to repay anyone. But rather, turn that over to God.”

“So if our anger is geared towards seeking revenge, then it is very definitely sinful anger.”

“If it is vengeful, then most likely it is also an anger that is cherished.”

“Remember what Jesus said to the man who was by the pool, waiting to be healed, and he couldn’t get to the water soon enough? Jesus asked him, ‘Do you want to be healed?’ This is a very important question!”

“There are a lot of people who enjoy being sick because of the attention it gets them. And there are a lot of people who love being angry. They’ve been angry for years. Inside of them there is a boiling mass of anger.”

“So if anger is cherished, it most certainly is sinful anger.”

“If it is a cherished anger it will also be anger with an unforgiving spirit. And the secret to getting rid of anger is to be able to forgive. But if you can’t forgive, if you can’t release it, then it is a sinful anger.”

“So here are the 5 tests to tell whether or not our anger is sinful anger.”

Reverend Mel lifted his index finger and the screen behind him lit up on cue. It displayed the words as he spoke them. “1. Is it anger directed towards a person?”

He lifted his middle finger and the screen wrote accordingly. “2. Is it anger without a justifiable cause?”

“3. Is it anger that seeks vengeance?”

“4. Is it anger that is cherished?”

“5. Is it anger that has an unforgiving spirit?”

Reverend Mel closed his hand, but the words stayed on the screen. “If any of the answers to those questions is ‘yes,’” he said, “then our anger is a sinful anger. And the Bible says that it is to be condemned.”

“If it is sinful, then we need to repent, to turn away from it, and allow God to forgive us of it so that we can become forgiving people, too.”

The screen cleared and Reverend Mel walked from behind the pulpit and paced the stage.

“The third type of anger is stubborn anger. It is an anger that just stays there, day after day after day.”

“One of the classic passages that deal with anger begins in Ephesians 4:26. The Bible says, ‘Be ye angry, and sin not. Let not the sun go down on your wrath.’ And the next verse says, ‘And do not give the devil a foothold.’”

Reverend Mel paused here and cleaned his glasses, while the congregation fidgeted in impatience. He took his time, knowing that they would wait. They’d be very unhappy about it, but they would wait. When his glasses were polished to his satisfaction, he perched them on his large, Nixonian nose and went on. “One day you go home and you’re angry. You’re carrying a chip on your shoulder, just waiting for someone to knock it off.”

“Then your wife or your husband says something you don’t particularly appreciate, and soon heated words are being exchanged. It really doesn’t amount to much, but you’re determined to get your way, and she is determined to get her way. So the argument continues.”

“The sun goes down and nighttime comes. Then in bed she faces that way and you face this way, and you both make very sure that you don’t touch each other.”

“Do you realize what has happened? The Bible says that you have opened the door, and said, ‘Mr. Devil, come right on in. We’ll make you welcome here. Have some tea. Do you want some upside down cake? Do you want to watch some television?’”

“Then in vs. 31, Paul mentions what happens when Satan begins to do his dirty work.”

“The first result is ‘bitterness.’ You begin to think about all the bad things people do and say to you, all the insults, all of the inconsiderate things that happen to you and you begin to stew over them, letting the hurt build inside of you.”

The screen lit up again as the reverend spoke, displaying his words in a font that simply screamed malice. “Then Paul says, ‘After bitterness comes rage and anger.’ ‘Rage’ is bitterness boiling and bubbling inside of you. And ‘anger’ is rage being expressed. It is no longer just inside you. Now you begin to kick the cat, and hit the wall. Now you begin to say all kinds of things, until finally it becomes ‘brawling,’ which means ‘shouting loudly,’ and ‘slander’ or ‘insults.’”

“You come home and instead of greeting your wife politely, you say, ‘Look at this house. It’s a pig sty. I come home every day and these kids are dirty. You don’t know how to take care of them. What makes you think you’re a homemaker?’ She gets riled at this and shouts back at you. And on and on it goes, back and forth.”

“And the end result of it all, Paul says, is ‘malice.’ And ‘malice’ means that you really desire to harm. That’s why we’re always reading about someone shooting his wife and turning the gun on himself after she is dead. Because the ultimate end of stubborn anger is malice.”

“Paul said, ‘Here is the way to get rid of stubborn anger. Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath.’ Verse 32 says, ‘Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.’”

“So first of all, there is sudden anger. And it must be controlled.”

“Then there is sinful anger. And it must be condemned.”

“Then there is stubborn anger. And it must be conquered.”

“Finally, there is Sanctified anger. And that must be channeled in the right direction. It must be channeled to work for God.” Remember, Ephesians 4:26 says, ‘Be ye angry. . .’ It is okay to be angry, but do not sin.”

Reverend Mel walked behind the pulpit again and opened the Bible. “Let me read to you from Mark 3:1-5. This is a passage that deals with a situation in the life of Jesus and I think it is very revealing. It says:”

“‘Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. And Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”’”

“‘Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.’”

“‘He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts. . .’ You see, the focus of His anger is their hearts. He is angry because of their stubborn hearts and their stubborn anger. The sun has gone down. The sun has come up. And the devil has established a foothold in their lives. And Jesus is angry at their stubborn anger.”

“‘Then Jesus said, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.’”

“The Bible says that Jesus was tempted in all points, even as we are tempted, but He never sinned. So this passage teaches that Jesus became angry but it wasn’t sinful anger. It was sanctified anger, channeled anger, anger that has the right focus, and the right object.”

“Maybe an infusion of anger is the very thing that the church needs. We need to become angry at the corruption of the world. We need to become angry at the forces of evil. To become angry at pornography that reaches into every segment of society.”

“We need to become angry at the millions of abortions. We need to become angry at the increase in crime and murders and rapes. We need to become angry at the abuse of alcohol and drugs in our society. To become angry because there are millions of people who are dying and going to Christless graves.”

“It is time for the church to become angry, with a sanctified anger, a holy anger that is channeled in the right places.”

“There are all kinds of anger. And if you are wrestling with them, God promises to give you victory, if you’ll let Him.”

“So be angry, but don’t sin. Don’t let the sun go down upon your wrath. Don’t allow the devil to have a foothold in your life. But channel that anger so it can begin to accomplish victories for Jesus.”

“We offer His invitation this morning. He stands ready and willing to come into your heart and into your life. If you’ll confess your faith in Him, and repent of your sins, and be faithful to him in Christian baptism, He has promised to forgive your sins.”

“If you are already a Christian, an immersed believer in Jesus, then we invite you to join with us in the ministry that God has given us here. Whatever your decision, we offer the invitation of Jesus. Will you come?”

A few people stood and the Reverend welcomed them to the church and went through the usual proceedings. Then they sat back down, the screen shut down, and the church was silent for a moment. Then the organist played a note, the hymnals opened, and the congregation began to sing, with the Reverend leading the way, belting out every word at the top of his voice. India sang as well, though she felt cold inside, as if God had guided Reverend Mel to get this sermon and give it today, the day after she had killed a man in anger, sinful anger according to the sermon. She had to repent, and seek the forgiveness of God. I can’t though, she thought. All of these people have known me since I was a child. If I go up there and say I’ve killed a man, they’ll be shocked. They will see me in a whole new light. I can’t do it. I
just can’t.

The singing stopped and Reverend Mel called to the congregation, “It is now time for the declaration of sins! All of ye who have sinned, come to the altar and pray for God’s forgiveness!”

Slowly people flowed out of the pews and walked up the aisle to the altar where Reverend Mel waited. They spoke quietly to him and he laid his hands on their head and professed them free of their sins. They then walked back to their seat with a noticeable spring in their step.
India watched them, seeing how they seemed to feel much better after confessing their sins. Go on, tell the Reverend. It’s now or never, she thought. No, I can’t. Their sins are trivial things, unimportant, compared to mine. I killed a man who didn’t wish me any harm. I stole his life from him in a moment of sheer cruelty. He might have had a son, a daughter, a wife, a sister, a brother, a mother or father. I didn’t know him, and I took his life away. I didn’t know why he wanted to rob me. He could have been doing it for them. Yes, those two pigs deserved to die, but maybe not him.

She continued to watch the worshippers receive forgiveness from the Reverend and wondered, Should I go up there?

© 2009 Malcolm Clarke