Michael knew how to evoke anger in his teachers. I had him in a senior math class. It wasn’t long before Michael decided to test me by disrupting the class. Sure enough my anger was evoked and I was prepared to “pounce” on him with a punishment. Something inside me (the Holy Spirit) told me to wait rather than react. I told him to meet me after class; this would give my anger time to simmer down. When he came to see me after class, I still wasn’t sure what to do, so I told him, we’d talk about it next day. During this waiting time I had time to consult God on what to do. Next day I told Michael to see me after school because I had a gift to give him. He looked puzzled. No teacher had ever offered him a gift for misbehaving. The gift (as suggested by God) was a compliment. I told him how much he’d matured since freshman year, and though he wasn’t perfect, he’d made great progress. God’s way worked!
By being “slow to anger,” I gave the Holy Spirit time to work within me and turn my reaction of anger into an act of kindness.
Today we read what God said about himself to Moses (Exodus 34:5-9).
“The Lord, the Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and rich in kindness and fidelity, continuing his kindness for a thousand generations, and forgiving wickedness and crime and sin.”
This succinct description of the personality of God is repeated throughout the Old Testament, especially in the Psalms. The God of Israel was clearly different from the gods of neighboring nations. He was not a stern ruler ready to “pounce and punish,” but a patient, gracious, and merciful God who was slow to anger, and infinitely kind. Those who are faithful to him generate a blessing that lasts for “a thousand generations.”
On the other hand, God, like a good teacher, is not a pushover. He deals with sin.
“… yet not declaring the guilty guiltless, but punishing children and grandchildren to third and fourth generation for their fathers’ wickedness!”
Sin is not ignored. Its effects last up to four generations. It releases a spiritual “poison” that affects even the great grandchildren of the one who sins.
And isn’t his “punishment” an act of love? In the Book of Hebrews (chapter 12) we read that God disciplines his children so that they can share in his holiness. If he ignored sin, we’d drift further and further away from him, as errant sheep drift away from the flock. He knows our happiness is rooted in being close to him. So, he corrects us, not to make us good citizens or successful people, but so that we will experience deeper intimacy with him. He wants us to be like him—holy. The effects of sin are real, lasting up to four generations, but are as nothing compared with the effects of righteousness.
Psalm 103 (vs. 6-13)
“He will not always chide, nor does he keep his wrath forever. Not according to our sins does he deal with us, nor does he requite us according to our crimes.”
My anger evoked by Michael lasted less than a day, and the “punishment” was much less than the “detention” that the school recommended. So God’s loving anger is tempered by his infinite mercy, and his gentle discipline is much less than what we deserve.
“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him” (Ps 103:13).
