In an environment where strife prevails, an angry man thrives. The Bibles points out that this type of person looks for ways to stir up strife. Perhaps he asks questions to get opinions involving others to gauge any dissatisfaction with them. He then turns any small frustration into a larger problem. Perhaps he uses other methods, but the end goal remains the same; he wants to stir up strife. He does this not only in the lives of others, but in his own heart as well. Instead of focusing upon reasons to rejoice in the Lord, he looks for reasons to be frustrated. All the while, he is walking in the flesh and missing out on the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23).
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.
At the age of forty, Moses fled Egypt in fear for his life (Exodus 2:11-15; Acts 7:20-29). It is not hard to imagine the degree of fear sensed by Moses as he ran from the most powerful man who ruled the most powerful nation on earth during his day. Today's verse reveals that Moses yet again departed from Egypt, forty years later this time, not fearing the wrath of the king. What made the difference? How did Moses keep from losing his mind during such a difficult time of trial? How did he endure the troubles associated with leaving Egypt? He endured because he saw “him who is invisible.” He saw God! He did not see the Lord simply with his physical eyes, but rather through the eye of faith. Moses endured for one reason, the Lord was with him and he knew it. Endurance becomes possible as the believer learns to acknowledge the presence of the Almighty in his or her life.
