Theme: CONTRITENESS
Text: “Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.” – Ecclesiastes 7:9
Comment: Anger is cruel. It is malicious and vengeful. In full throttle, it is dreadful as its end can never be dreamt of by the person. It confers foolish courage on one and stimulates one to commit himself into doing things abominable.
King Saul was guilty of using inappropriate words against Jonathan, His son when he knew that David’s absence at his dinner was by Jonathan’s permission: “Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother’s nakedness?” (1 Samuel 20:30) It was Thomas Fuller, a well-known writer who said: “Birds are entangled by their feet and men by their tongues”.
The Almighty God Who sees the heart of every man took cognisance of Abel’s oblation and rejected that of his brother. Scriptural records state: “And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.” This made him to commit a very serious sin – the sin of murder. The Revised Standard Version puts it in this wise: “Let us go out to the field. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him.” (Genesis 4:8). Apostle Paul counselled believers thus: “Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil”. – Ephesians 4:26,27, Revised Standard Version.