Anger Management Isn't the Answer

Today’s Journal Reading
Genesis 3-5
Luke 2

Genesis 4:7
“If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

Observation:
Cain and Abel are brothers. Cain is a tiller of the ground and Abel is a keeper of the flock. This chapter reveals that Abel brought to God the firstlings of his flock and the fat portions; and Cain brought to God an offering from the fruit of the ground. God accepted Abel’s offering and had no regard towards Cain’s offering. Cain became angry and killed his brother, Abel. Before he did this, though, God approached him and provided an opportunity for Cain to make things right in his heart, but Cain did not choose to. Instead, he allowed his anger to take control.

I haven’t always understood this story – why wasn’t Cain’s offering accepted by God? I’ve heard sermons preached that it was because there wasn’t blood shed, and God requires a blood sacrifice, but there isn’t any mention of what God required. Each brother offered something from their livelihood, but the difference between the two is Abel brought God the “firstlings” of his flock and the “fat portions”; and Cain just brought fruit of the ground – no mention that it was the first of the harvest, or that it was the best of his crop. Maybe Cain thought he had a right to bring whatever he wanted to the Lord. Maybe Cain thought he could get away with giving God second best. Regardless, it seems that Cain knew he wasn’t offering what God required. He wanted to do it his way. And when that wasn’t acceptable, he allowed anger to take hold of him and he lost his temper and killed his brother.

Application:
Disobeying God opens the door to sin, which produces frustration and irritation in our hearts, which then produces anger. I recently read that anger is like a pit bull. It’s something that has to be controlled, while at the same time calling it a pet and reassuring family and friends that it will not attack - that you have control. And yet, we all know that once something sets it off – the control is gone, the damage is done – and someone is hurt or killed. Everyone shakes their heads in sadness, saying, “Well, you know how pit bulls are…” When it’s an angry person, we shake our heads in sadness and say, “Well, someone must have made him mad…” Why would anyone want to be responsible for something they have to continually try to keep under control when they can just get rid of it?

I know it’s easier said than done, but Cain had a choice to obey God the first time and offer the correct sacrifice (whatever that was), and he didn’t. God gave him another opportunity to confess his anger towards God and make it right, and he didn’t. Even after killing his brother, God gave Cain an opportunity to confess, and he didn’t. So God punished him – and guess what Cain did? He complained – this is too much for me, you have to protect me from people who will kill me once they find out who I am and what I did. Isn’t that so typical of an angry person? They feel justified in their anger, make excuses for it, don’t feel they deserved to be punished or pay the consequences for it and aren’t willing to take responsibility for it. And yet, in God’s endless mercy, he didn’t kill Cain (like he deserved), and he made it known that anyone who harmed Cain would be killed. He not only spared his life, but sent him to a place to live out the rest of his days, without any fear of being killed for his act of murder. I wonder if Cain ever came to his senses and made things right with His God.

Trying to master the sin of anger is hard work. And it never really is under control. The longer we allow it to remain in our hearts, the more justified it seems to be. Before long, it masters us, and we become blind to the damage it does to us and others.

Father, help me to surrender my “rights” so that anger doesn’t get the best of me. I don’t want to open the door and provide a way for it to take hold of my heart. I don’t want to have to master it - I want to get rid of it! Help me to be obedient to You in all I do and say, so that my offerings to You will be good and acceptable.