Exodus 34:6, God is slow to anger, this might surprise some people. Isn’t the God of the Bible mostly angry, striking people down for their sins? In Hebrew, the phrase “slow to anger” is “long of nose.” What does God’s patience have to do with a long nose? The common biblical Hebrew way to say that someone is angry, their nose burned hot. Genesis 39:19, the story of Joseph, when Potiphar thinks that Joseph tried to sleep with his wife, his nose burned hot. It’s usually translated “his anger burned.” His nose burned hot, it’s describing how your body, especially your face gets hot, when we’re filled with anger. In Hebrew, the main words for anger are either “nose” or “heat” or “hot nose.” This is why a patient person is called “long of nose,” it takes a long time for their nose to get hot. Proverbs 19:11, a persons wisdom is their long nose, their slow anger. God gets angry numerous times, but God doesn’t have a nose or get hot. These are metaphors, using our experience of hot anger to describe how God feels, when he witnesses human evil. God gets angry, when humans oppress each other and ruin his world. God’s anger is an expression of his justice and his love for the world.
God is slow to anger, which means, he gives people lots of time to change. When Pharaoh enslaves the Israelites and has their baby boys thrown into the waters, God sends Moses to confront Pharaoh, and Pharaoh is given 10 chances to let Israel go free. But after the 10th refusal, Pharaoh rides out with his chariots to destroy the Israelites and so, God destroys him in the waters, Pharaoh’s own evil is turned back upon him. Exodus 15-7, this is an act of God’s hot anger. God wouldn’t be good, if he didn’t get angry at Pharaoh’s evil and eventually do something about it. God’s anger is expressed by handing Pharaoh over to the consequences of his own decisions. This is actually how God’s anger is shown throughout the Scriptures. The story of the Israelites, over and over again for hundreds of years, they betrayed the God, who rescued them from slavery. Though God gives them many chances to turn around, they keep giving their allegiance to the gods of other nations, and each time we read that the hot anger of God burned against the Israelites. But what always follows, God gave them over into the hands of their enemies, Israel wanted to serve the gods of other nations and so God, in his just anger gives them what they want, as those nations circle back and defeat Israel.
Romans 1:18-32, God’s anger is being revealed against human evil, and then three times Paul says what that looks like, God hands people over to their destructive desires and decisions, even if it leads to death. Romans 2:1-4, God is patient, giving people time to come to their senses and change, because God’s anger is a response to human evil and it’s based on a deeper character trait, his compassion and his loyal love. God is not content to let people sit in their own self-destruction. God is on a mission to rescue, this is why Jesus said that he was going to Jerusalem to die, as a demonstration of God’s love for his enemies. Jesus would stand in the place of his people, who were choosing self-destruction and take the consequences of their decisions upon himself. In Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, we see God’s anger at evil and his love for people working together to provide forgiveness and life for a humanity lost in self-ruin. God’s anger in the Bible is really important, but it’s not the end of the story. When God is angry and brings justice, it’s because he’s good and he’s extremely patient, working out his plan to restore people to his love.
God is slow to anger, which means, he gives people lots of time to change. When Pharaoh enslaves the Israelites and has their baby boys thrown into the waters, God sends Moses to confront Pharaoh, and Pharaoh is given 10 chances to let Israel go free. But after the 10th refusal, Pharaoh rides out with his chariots to destroy the Israelites and so, God destroys him in the waters, Pharaoh’s own evil is turned back upon him. Exodus 15-7, this is an act of God’s hot anger. God wouldn’t be good, if he didn’t get angry at Pharaoh’s evil and eventually do something about it. God’s anger is expressed by handing Pharaoh over to the consequences of his own decisions. This is actually how God’s anger is shown throughout the Scriptures. The story of the Israelites, over and over again for hundreds of years, they betrayed the God, who rescued them from slavery. Though God gives them many chances to turn around, they keep giving their allegiance to the gods of other nations, and each time we read that the hot anger of God burned against the Israelites. But what always follows, God gave them over into the hands of their enemies, Israel wanted to serve the gods of other nations and so God, in his just anger gives them what they want, as those nations circle back and defeat Israel.
Romans 1:18-32, God’s anger is being revealed against human evil, and then three times Paul says what that looks like, God hands people over to their destructive desires and decisions, even if it leads to death. Romans 2:1-4, God is patient, giving people time to come to their senses and change, because God’s anger is a response to human evil and it’s based on a deeper character trait, his compassion and his loyal love. God is not content to let people sit in their own self-destruction. God is on a mission to rescue, this is why Jesus said that he was going to Jerusalem to die, as a demonstration of God’s love for his enemies. Jesus would stand in the place of his people, who were choosing self-destruction and take the consequences of their decisions upon himself. In Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, we see God’s anger at evil and his love for people working together to provide forgiveness and life for a humanity lost in self-ruin. God’s anger in the Bible is really important, but it’s not the end of the story. When God is angry and brings justice, it’s because he’s good and he’s extremely patient, working out his plan to restore people to his love.
