"anger (Part 2): Four Types Of Anger In The Bible" Series

Illus.: A passenger boarded a Los Angeles-to-New York flight. He asked one of the flight attendants to wake him up and make sure he got off in Dallas when the plane was transiting there. But he woke up just as the plane landed in New York. He was furious. He called the flight attendant and asked for an explanation. The flight attendant was shocked and realized that she had woken the wrong passenger in Dallas.

Last Sunday, we learned to understand anger, the side effects of uncontrolled anger, and the stories in the Bible about people who could not control their anger and the consequences they suffered. Today we will learn more about the factors that cause anger and the four types of anger that the Bible shows. As we learn about factors that can cause anger, we'll see that not all anger is wrong or sinful.

Many factors can trigger anger:

1. Physical Factors. Certain physical conditions can make someone sensitive, irritable, cranky, upset, or angry, such as physical tiredness, sickness (having constant pain, headaches), and for ladies, hormonal changes. Accidents that impact the brain also can change someone's emotions. Last Sunday, I told you about Arthur Millard, a 'monster' father of Bart Millard. According to his family, he became angry after recovering from several weeks of coma because a truck hit him. Before that, he got several accidents and concussions when he played football. Many football players got emotional problems when they retired. Doctors think concussions have impacts on their brains that control their emotions.

2. Emotional Factors. Memories of traumatic or enraging events can also trigger angry feelings. For example, physical, verbal, or emotional abuses, being rejected by parents or teachers, being betrayed by a spouse, losing a loved one, or precious things. Anger relates to other negative emotions, such as Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Fear (fear makes us intense, nervous, and sensitive), and Frustration.

3. Social Factors. A stressful environment (working under a mean and demanding boss, living with an abusive spouse or parents) can make us angry. For some people, an injustice situation, bad people, and criminals such as corrupt leaders, drug dealers, human traffickers, kidnappers, murderers, or rapists, can make them angry.

4. Spiritual Factors. Instead of the Holy Spirit, a life led by the flesh, instead of the Holy Spirit, will make a person not have self-control (Gal 5:22-23). Illus.: A lady once came to Billy Sunday and tried to rationalize her angry outbursts. "There's nothing wrong with losing my temper," she said. "I blow up, and then it's all over." "So does a shotgun," Sunday replied, "and look at the damage it leaves behind!" Pride also can be the cause factor of our anger (we'll talk more about this next week). Choleric people tend to have more problems with anger than phlegmatic people.

If you struggle with anger, you should observe and find out what factors make you angry: physical, emotional, social, or spiritual? And now, let us look at four types of anger that the Bible shows to us. The Bible not only addresses anger but also indicates the four types of anger and advise about them:

1. Anger of a short-tempered person. The Book of Proverbs talks a lot about this kind of anger. For example, 14:17 says, "A quick-tempered man does foolish things." People who quickly lose temper may say and do things they regret or be sorry for later on. 15:18 says, "A hot tempered man stirs up dissension." People who are a hot temper often create and conflict. Illus.: Will Rogers said, "Whenever you fly into a rage, you seldom make a safe landing." And he is right. 21:9 – "Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife." A spouse of an angry wife/husband prefers to live alone. Again in 21:19 – "Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife." There is a warning in 22:24-25 – "Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared." If you associate with a hot-tempered person, you will get used to them. More than that, you will become like them. So ovoid that type of person. Finally, Proverbs 19:19 warns, "A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty." Illus.: Jim Taylor in Currents tells the following story about his friend, Ralph Milton: One morning, Ralph woke up at five o'clock to a noise that sounded like someone repairing boilers on his roof. Still, in his pajamas, he went into the backyard to investigate. He found a woodpecker on the TV antenna, "pounding its little brains out on the metal pole." Angry at the little creature who ruined his sleep, Ralph picked up a rock and threw it. The rock sailed over the house, and he heard a distant crash as it hit the car. In utter disgust, Ralph took a vicious kick at a clod of dirt, only to remember -- too late -- that he was still in his bare feet. Uncontrolled anger, as Ralph leaned, can sometimes be its reward. Allow me to ask you: "What does your husband/wife, children, friends, co-workers say about your ability to control your emotion?" I hope no one will call us a short-tempered person. If you have struggled with being patient, ask Holy Spirit to take control of your life. Allow Him to take charge of your life, trust in Him, and obey His wills!