Anger Management
Do not fret, it leads only to evildoing. Psalm 37:8 NASB
Fret – Why is fretting such a bad thing? Don’t we all worry about the future? Certainly the news is full of things to worry about. That’s what sells newspapers. Why would the Psalmist say that fretting leads to evildoing? It seems to me that fretting leads to insurance policies, airport security, alarm systems and a host of “good” things. Maybe the Psalmist got it wrong.
But maybe not.
If we knew that the verb here is haron, we might get a very different sense of this verse because haron is first and foremost about anger. It is used many times in conjunction with ‘ap to describe the visual characteristics of someone’s nose when it is inflamed with wrath. In fact, this is the way the Bible describes God’s anger toward disobedience and idolatry. From this basic meaning, each verb tense offers a nuance to the context. The particular tense used in this psalm changes the meaning just slightly, from anger to anxiety. But this is anxiety of a special kind, not just concern about potential problems but rather envious upset over the apparent success of the wicked. Look at verse 1 and 7. The Psalmist tells us that anger generated from emotional disturbance over the prosperity of those who don’t follow God’s way is destructive. In fact, the consequence is a lot stronger than our English translation. In Hebrew, this kind of fretting doesn’t just lead to evil; it is evil!
There are two immediate implications. The first is an answer to the question: why shouldn’t we be upset about the success of the wicked? Why shouldn’t it bother us that bad people seem to get away with things? The Psalmist says, “Of course you will feel indignation that evil seems to prevail, but this is not the same as haron. What you are not to do is succumb to the envious temptation of their ways. Don’t let this kind of anger spur you to say, ‘If they can do it, why can’t I?’ Don’t let your anger cause you to doubt God’s justice. The wicked will not prevail. God will see to that.”
The second point is a little closer to home. When I allow my emotions to propel me toward envious disturbance over the prosperity of the wicked, I am really questioning God’s benevolence. If I find myself upset because I don’t have what they have, I am really saying to God, “You should do a better job of taking care of me. I deserve more because I follow You. Why should they get all the benefits?” Now you know why the Psalmist says that fretting is evil. As soon as you let this kind of anger into your thoughts, you are denying the goodness, and the justice, of God.
The next time you see success painted on the possessions of the wicked, look deep into your heart. What do you find? Envy, distress or heartbroken compassion? Imagine what tragedy occurs when a man thinks that security is found in all he owns.
Topical Index: haron, fret, anger, sovereignty, Psalm 37:8
I suffer anxiety. I am anxious almost every day, depending on the situation that confronts me. I worry and in the past, I have worried ‘without end.’ I want to believe that these things, worry and anxiety, are just part of being a thinking creature; one who is capable of appreciating ‘what-if’ scenarios. It comes with being sentient, to the degree and amount that humans are blessed with consciousness. I don’t like it when good things happen to bad people, when they amass fortunes and flaunt it. It’s not fair! What about me? Well, what about me indeed! That ‘envy thinking’ is a serious blemish in need of attention, like a ‘zit’ at the end of my nose. I can attempt to cover it up, to hide it, as if it were not there, and fool myself. But anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear will notice it, by sight or by the words that drop from my mouth. I am in constant need of ‘scrubbing’ on a daily basis, not externally, important as that is, but internally, where these inclinations fester. And that realization begins the process of growth, that is required daily, if I am to be at all effective in my walk and in the work God wants to do through me, by His Spirit, on this good Earth, in His good creation.
When I googled “root of all evil” I found a dot com called “thywordistrue” that had an interesting conclusion about the Bible’s use of the term “all evil”. It looked at its use in Joshua 23:15 and Proverbs 5:14 where the term referred to the fact that you can have evil (which is the RESULT of sin) unmixed at some point with any good, at which time you could say that it was “all evil”. It also pointed out that covetousness, because it is a sin, could create a condition in which you could find all kinds of bad results. I wonder if Skip could clear some of this up? I have noticed the confusion that usually results many times when people try to explain why loving money causes all the problems, which it clearly does not.
Anger management and fretting interesting correlation and explanation. Let’s me think of the reality that 80% of all our plans tend to plan out, while 99% of the things we worry about never occur. Yet we worry, instead of living for the wonderful and only “now”, addressing things as they occur, introducing life into circumstances instead of seeking life therein.
This reminds me that life is the vehicle of a soul and not the journey of the soul to a destination. The joy and comfort of the journey is how we equip and use the vehicle…
This may be the reason why Jesus gave us a similar message in Matthews 6 for today has enough of its own evil…
I have heard it said that the 10th commandment sums up and reinforces all the “do not” (negative) instructions. And this article may be a great example of the “why not”.
APPARENTLY, I HAVE BEEN TAKEN OFF THE LIST, I WAS TOLD BY SKIP IN THE LAST ONE I WAS WRITING TO PEOPLE , WHICH WAS MARCH 11, 2016, THAT I WOULD NOT BE TAKEN OFF THE LIST. HOWEVER; I WAS. THANKS FOR ALLOWING ME TO WRITE ON THIS, HOPE IT STAYS ON FOR ALL MY FRIENDS TO KNOW. WITH THE LOVE OF THE LORD, I SEND THIS. NO ANGER. LAVAYE BILLINGS.
Dear LaVaye,
It is quite impossible that you have been removed since I haven’t done anything yet. I am still in Africa. Perhaps there is a problem on your end with spam or something.
This was a well needed word, especially since Donald Trump is running for president.