103_Be angry and sin not

Ex 32:25-29 And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the Lord’s side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. 27 And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.’” 28 And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell. 29 And Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.”

As a young man, William Wilberforce lived a life of privilege and ease. But his life changed dramatically when he encountered first-hand the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade. It did not affect him in any way, yet his heart burned with righteous anger as he saw people oppressed and dehumanized, just because they were powerless and poor. Rather than leading him to bitterness or vengeance, it propelled him into a lifelong mission to abolish slavery in the British Empire. His righteous indignation was not self-serving but a reflection of God’s justice and holiness.

The passage in Exodus 32:25-29 reveals another instance of righteous anger on the part of Moses. As he descended from Mount Sinai, carrying the sacred tablets of God’s law, he was confronted with an appalling scene. The Israelites, having grown impatient in his absence, had abandoned their allegiance to the Lord and turned to idol worship. They were dancing in frenzied revelry around a golden calf. Moses’ anger burned as he saw the people defiling themselves and rejecting God’s holiness.

Moses did not act out of uncontrolled rage or personal offense. He was not angry because the people had disrespected his authority. It was because they had violated their overwhelmingly valuable covenant with the Almighty. In his fury, he threw down the stone tablets on which the law was written, a visual symbol of what the Israelites had just done. Then he called for those who remained faithful to God to take a stand. The Levites responded and gathered to him. At Moses’ command, they executed divine judgment against the ringleaders who persisted in rebellion. This was not indiscriminate slaughter but a measured act against those who continued defiant, despite every opportunity to repent. Proverbs 29:1 warns, “He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing.” This is exactly what happened to these rebels.

Moses’ anger was an echo of God’s own response to sin. Righteous anger is very different from our personal irritation or offence. Our human anger is selfish, arising from wounded pride, frustration, or personal grievance. It seeks to harm, to control, or to avenge our hurt or loss. But righteous anger is different. It is a burning zeal for God’s holiness, a response to sin and injustice that seeks not destruction but restoration and purification.

When the Lord came into the temple, and saw buyers and sellers competing for profit, he became angry. He formed a light whip, overturned the tables of the money changers and drove the sacrificial animals out, declaring, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” (John 2:16). His disciples remembered the scripture that said, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The Greek word for zeal literally means heat. The Lord had a constant burning passion that God’s will be done, that his name be honoured for his holiness and love and justice. This led him to cleanse the house of his Father of all things that were in disagreement with his Father’s will. “For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” The house where people came to pray to the Father could not be a marketplace where people came to be cheated or to make unjust profits.

In contrast, he was often insulted, mocked, and mistreated, but he did not retaliate with anger or revenge. He was unfailingly indignant when he confronted hypocrisy, corruption, and irreverent acts that profaned his Father’s name.

The Levites played a somewhat similar role in Exodus 32. Their very name, Levi, means “joined” or “united.” Levi and Simeon were cursed by their father Jacob because of their violent vengeance against Shechem. 400 years later, the Levites were united, not in sinful revenge, but to carry out God’s righteous judgment. By their impartial obedience, they were set apart for the Lord’s service. Moses declared, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.” (Exodus 32:29).

On another occasion, a Levite showed the same righteous zeal and was commended by God. At Baal Peor, when Israel was seduced by the Midianite and Moabite women to commit idolatry and immorality, they were punished by their leaders and also by a plague that cost 24,000 lives. Even as Israel was mourning these deaths before the tabernacle doorway, an Israelite man brought a Midianite princess right into the camp and into his tent. Phinehas the priest, the son of Eleazar, took action, killing them both in their sin. God revealed that his anger against Israel was arrested by this act of loyalty, “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them.” (Numbers 25:11). Because of his zeal for God’s holiness, Phinehas was assured of perpetual priesthood. God honors those who stand for His righteousness.

We are not a theocratic nation, and the Church is not called to wield the sword against sinners. However, 1 Corinthians 5 makes it clear that the church is to judge those who persist in sin within the body of Christ. They are to be removed from the body, so that their spirit might be saved. 2 Corinthians 6:14-16 instructs, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?” Let us be separate from open sin and cast out those who persist in it, for the sake of God’s holiness.

Righteous anger must begin with ourselves. Ephesians 4:26 exhorts, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.” When we confront sin, we must first examine our own hearts. It is easy to be indignant about the sins of others while ignoring the corruption within. David was furious at Nathan’s tale of the rich man who stole a poor man’s only lamb, only to be confronted with the accusation, “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7). The Lord’s stern words to the hypocrites were, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3). True zeal for righteousness reflects in recognizing and correcting our own sins.

Let us not be passive or indifferent to open disobedience. Sin cannot be ignored or swept under the rug. Sometimes we must act, not in self-righteous condemnation but in love, seeking to restore those who have gone astray. Galatians 6:1 instructs, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.” On the other hand, if there is no repentance, righteous anger will lead to action against injustice, oppression, immorality, and untruth. It is not destructive but healing.

William Wilberforce did not let his anger consume him in bitterness or violence. It fueled his relentless advocacy against the practice, until it was rooted out of Britain. With Moses, Phinehas, and the Levites, Wilberforce demonstrated that zeal for God’s will has a cost, but also a blessing.

Let us hunger and thirst for righteousness, consumed by God’s truth. Let us ignore personal offense but be passionate for his glory. Led by his justice and grace, let us stand firm in truth but extend mercy to those who repent. God bless.