Without a just and righteous cause for anger, it does not have a godly basis. Although Jesus was giving this admonition directly to the Jews concerning their kingdom, the principle remains just as accurate and applicable today. Many of the modern versions remove the phrase “without a cause” claiming that the so-called best manuscripts fail to include it. In following this faulty “scholarship,” they corrupt the verse and create a contradiction between Matthew 5:22 and Ephesians 4:26. Young David was no doubt angry as he heard the blasphemy from the lips of Goliath (1 Samuel 17:22-25). He was not going to let these words go without an appropriate response. When he asked about fighting the Philistine, others became angry and accused him of ungodly motives (1 Samuel 17:26-28), but he retorted, “Is there not a cause?” (1 Samuel 17:29).
Be sure to carefully read today’s verse. A basic definition of discretion refers to someone who seeks out knowledge concerning a conflict and then uses wisdom to arrive at the right decision. On the other hand, ungodly anger unwisely reacts without discretion. It is therefore logical that discretion defers anger. Any individual who thrives on anger often does so by neglecting knowledge and wisdom. He fails to patiently consider every perspective and detail before rushing to judgment fueling his fury. Discretion may delay a reaction, but when one does react using discretion, his reaction will be righteous and helpful for all involved even when his reaction might involve anger.
The Bible says that God is angry every day. Yet, at the same time He may display His anger, the Bible also says that He is love (1 John 4:8), and righteous (Ezra 9:15), and compassionate (Psalm 86:15), and just (Deuteronomy 32:4), and merciful (Deuteronomy 4:31). The source of God’s anger and the means by which He acts upon His anger sets the standard for what is truly a righteous anger. If man’s righteous acts provoked God to anger, this would signify a sinful nature. The Bible is clear that the opposite holds true. God is provoked to anger by sin (1 Kings 16:2), vanity (1 Kings 16:26), and idolatry (1 Kings 22:53). His righteous anger in each case plainly declares God’s righteous nature. The source of His anger sets forth the only sources by which men should become angry.
Hypocrites often reveal themselves as detail oriented people. However, though they might notice something small and insignificant, they often fail to recognize the extremely obvious necessities of faithful service. When dealing with the hypocrites of His day, the Lord Jesus declared this very truth. The hypocrites paid tithes of mint, anise, and cummin but omitted judgment, mercy, and faith (Matthew 23:23). They would “strain at a gnat,” but “swallow a camel” (Matthew 23:24). They were obedient in the strictest sense of their religion in certain aspects, but oblivious to their disobedience in the more obvious areas of life. Even today, a hypocrite often becomes overzealous in his obedience in one area of life while failing to recognize his rebellion in other important areas.
The Bible depicts the hypocrite as someone who may work hard. Yet, their efforts are directed toward the wrong things. The Lord Jesus pointed out that the hypocrites would “compass sea and land to make one proselyte.” This conveys hard work. Think about the difference that Christians could make by labouring that hard to win “one” soul to the Lord! The hypocrite promotes unholy things contrary to the will of God. Believers need to take the right lesson away from studying the hypocrite. Each of us should be working hard to lead others to Christ and then to teach sound Bible doctrine. Yet, we should spend a lot less time finding fault in others. If we did, churches would be full of converts growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
The Lord commended the hypocrite for his discernment in certain areas of life but rebuked him for his lack of discernment in the most needful areas. As such, the hypocrite readily recognizes problems in others but remains blind to those same inadequacies within his own life. Though some might accuse the hypocrite of merely ignoring his own deficiencies, it is likely that he cannot discern the presence of these problems as they appear within his own life. This is most likely caused by the blindness produced by Satan. After all, Satan has no problem when a man finds fault in others so long as that man remains oblivious to his own failures. Without God’s help, the hypocrite will never discern that his hypocrisy is his problem.
The Bible points out that the hypocrite has forgotten God (Job 8:13). Therefore, the hypocrite shows little to no concern for receiving the praise of God. His natural desire to please God has instead been replaced with a desire to receive praise and glory from other men. This desire affects everything the hypocrite does. He gives, in hopes that others will admire his generosity (Matthew 6:2-4). He prays, hoping someone will notice the eloquence with which he calls upon God (Matthew 6:5-8). He fasts, but not in hopes of moving the Lord; rather, he wants others to marvel at the dedication with which he has devoted himself to God (Matthew 6:16-18).
The hypocrite lives for the present by seeking his reward from the praise of man (Matthew 6:2). He finds his greatest joy only when men shower him with the praise he so desperately seeks. According to scripture, this joy is only temporary. As soon as the hypocrite does something to gain the praise of man, he becomes jealous as he sees others accomplish greater feats. When the hypocrite loses man’s attention and praise, he becomes distraught and seeks more aggressive ways to win men’s lost admiration. Only those ignorant of God’s ways would want to live such a horrible existence! This life yields no lasting peace or joy which is the very outcome offered by God for those who live for Him and love Him. For the hypocrite, nothing remains constant. His standard is always changing and bar ever raising while the faithful Christian joyfully seeks to please the never-changing God (Malachi 3:6).
The Bible-believing student rejects any notion of coincidences within scripture. He chooses rather to believe that every word of God was specifically chosen by the Lord to convey His intended message. In today’s passage, the Lord revealed the root of the hypocrite’s problems—he is likened to “all that forget God.” The hypocrite is a person who presents himself one way, when in reality, he is altogether something far different than the perception he imitates. For instance, he may fast to convey the message that he loves the Lord, but his spirituality is only a façade for men to see. He may pray, but does so to be heard by men. In the end, his greatest problem is that he has forgotten that the all-seeing, all-knowing God knows the difference between heartfelt actions and hypocrisy.
