Anger is not sinful, yet the source of one’s anger sometimes does manifest one’s sinful heart. Perhaps the prophet Jonah best demonstrates this truth. When the Lord first approached Jonah about the need in Nineveh, Jonah clearly displayed his displeasure in seeing the Lord work in the lives of the Ninevites. After experiencing the Lord’s chastening, Jonah appeared to have a heart change. Yet, it did not take long before his anger revealed his true feelings and thoughts. As the hearts of the Ninevites were becoming tender toward the Lord, the prophet’s heart was becoming hardened through anger. His anger revealed that he wanted his own will and not God’s.
On the sabbath day, the Lord Jesus stood to read the scriptures. This was a common practice in New Testament times as the Jews would read the scriptures every sabbath day (Acts 13:27; Acts 15:21). Publick scripture reading was not uncommon and appears to have also been a practice of the Israelites in the Old Testament (Exodus 24:7; Deuteronomy 31:11; 2 Kings 23:2; Nehemiah 8:3). The Bible also records that publick reading was common in the early church. Unlike today, believers did not own personal copies of the scriptures. Believers learned the scripture from publick reading (1 Thessalonians 5:27; 1 Timothy 4:13). Even now, believers should make an effort to publickly read the scriptures.
