Numbers 31:14-15
“Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who returned from the battle. ‘Have you allowed all the women to live?’ he asked them.”
These days, there is a lot of anger in the air. In the last few years, people seem angrier. And in some ways, it’s understandable. It’s been an intense time, and we’ve had to deal with heated political debates, elections, the coronavirus, and all the issues surrounding the pandemic. Have you had your buttons pushed at some point in the last year? Righteous people tend to get angry for the best of reasons. But even when our anger is sparked for good reasons, there can be spiritual fallout. When we are angry, we lose control of the clarity of our thinking. The women of Midian had enticed the men of Israel into sin and idolatry. As a result, 24,000 Israelites died in a plague. The soldiers failed to fulfill God’s command. Moses’ anger came from a righteous place, but his spiritual status suffered. Moses could not relay God’s commands at this time because he had become angry. The Divine Presence necessary to relay God’s command was inaccessible to Moses because of his anger. This is an example of why we should be careful to control our anger, even when it is for the right reasons. When you feel anger beginning to burn, take a deep breath and turn to God. God says, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay” – Deuteronomy 32:35.
