Lord, Why Does Your Wrath Burn Hot Against Your People?
By Sharon Ferencze
Exodus 32:1 through 33:6, is a story full of intense emotions. We see the burning fury of God, the violent response of Moses, the lewd revelry of the people, the courage and resolve of the Levites, as well as the grief and pain for the consequence of sin.
We see Moses as a type of Christ, the intercessor and one willing to make atonement for the people. We learn about the characters of God and Moses by what makes them angry and by their responses. We see the cost of sin. It’s sad, grievous, and humbling. On a brighter note, however, we also see the hope we have of appealing to God and the possibility of changing the course of history.
Let’s begin with our question found in Exodus 32:11. Moses asks God, “Lord, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people…?” Moses knows why God is angry, but this question begins a dialogue with Him. Moses, as a peacemaker, entreats and reasons with God to reconsider His decision to destroy the people.
The Israelites had become impatient while waiting for Moses to return from the mountain. With the help of Aaron, they built a golden calf and worshiped it as the god who brought them up out of the land of Egypt. They partied, “sitting down to eat and rising up to play.” They sang and danced before their god!
God sees this, and His anger burns! He is done! He is ready to destroy the entire nation. He tells Moses He will continue His family and the promises He made to the patriarchs through him. I can only imagine the conflict of emotions going on within Moses. He, too, is tired of the rebellious, dissatisfied behavior of the Israelites. They are a constant burden to him. He never really wanted this job in the first place. His life could be so much easier! Being released from this burden, he could focus on his own wife and children and enjoy life with them. It would take many generations to build up a new nation, so dealing with unruly people would not be his problem. And think of the glory he would have! He would be the ONE that God favored above all others! This must have been a very tempting offer.
Moses was above this, however. Perhaps that’s why God chose him to be the leader of His people. Moses reasoned with God, pleading with Him to reconsider. Moses was humble and valued God’s people and reputation above his own life. He even asked God to blot HIS name from His book…Moses was a type of Christ, interceding for the people, bearing the burden of their sin, sacrificing his life for them. He was a peacemaker as was Jesus, the Prince of Peace, who paid the ultimate price to bring peace between God and man.
We see that God consents, and the nation of Israel is spared from destruction, changing the course of history. Moses, however, is responsible for enforcing punishment. He tells the Levites, who take a stand with him and God, to kill the rebellious ones. Three thousand of their kin are killed. What devastation! What a bloody mess! The grief, pain, and regret far outweigh the passing pleasure of their sin. Pain helps us remember, and God uses it to chasten those He loves. Since He cannot have sin in His presence, it severs our relationship with Him. We forfeit peace with God, our greatest treasure in life, when we choose to rebel and walk in sin. The peaceful fruit of righteousness, a restored peace with God, and peace within ourselves is the goal of God’s chastening (Heb. 12:11).
In this story, we see God’s anger toward the obstinate people He loved, served, cared for, and blessed. We see the injustice of their ungrateful and rebellious hearts and understand God’s response. We see Moses reasoning with God to change His mind. Though God is perfect and always justified in His anger, man is often not justified, and at times we see God helping men reason through their anger. Two examples are Cain and Jonah. When Cain is angry because Abel’s sacrifice is accepted and his is not, God asks him, “Why are you angry?” He wants Cain to see that his anger, which is a result of pride, is inappropriate and will lead to sin if he does not master it (Gen. 4).
In the story of Jonah, Jonah is angry because the plant that is giving him shade dies, and more importantly, because the people of Nineveh are not destroyed. God asks Jonah, who is selfish and lacks love for the Ninevites, “Do you have good reason to be angry?” (Jonah 4). God reasons with these two men to help them consider the source of their anger and their response.
When what makes God angry makes me angry, it’s appropriate. Some examples of appropriate anger are: Moses’ anger in our story, David’s anger toward Goliath for taunting the Israelites and saying disrespectful things about God (2 Sam. 17), Paul’s spirit being provoked by the idols as he walked through the city of Athens (Acts 17:16), and Jesus’ anger toward the hypocritical Pharisees, who were perverting God’s Law and hurting the “little ones” who were sincerely trying to follow it, as well as the money changers, who were treating holy things as common. These men valued God’s reputation and the safety of His people even more than their own reputation and safety.
Correspondingly, one’s values are also revealed by what doesn’t make them angry. Consider David, the great king, when he was being derided and cursed by Shimei. Abishai expected him to be angry and suggested cutting off Shimei’s head, but David was humble and left the matter in God’s hands (2 Sam. 16). Jesus, the all-powerful creator, was mocked, beaten, spit on, and nailed to a cross, but He didn’t get angry. He was humble and left the matter in God’s hands.
Because anger reveals our character and values, it’s a useful tool for introspection. What makes me angry? Am I angrier when my rights are violated or when God is being disrespected? Though anger is complicated and has many triggers, asking myself, “Do I have good reason to be angry?” will begin an inner dialogue of reasoning through anger, helping me understand it.
Angry people are all around us. Satan loves to cause division and contention, and our culture tells us we should be offended by many things. But God says, love is not easily provoked (I Cor. 13:5). We can choose, as David and Jesus did, to humbly leave the injustice and offense toward us in God’s hands. And ultimately, as our Savior did, even learn to love and pray for our enemies.
The prevalence of anger in society is often because people are spiritually “hangry.” They are not getting nourishment for their spirits from the Bread of Life, so they are irritable, dissatisfied, and easily offended. We don’t need to be this way, we have a feast to fill us up and give us deep satisfaction, joy, and peace. We have the truth to guide us as we reason with ourselves and others in times of anger. Like Moses and Jesus, we can be peacemakers, bringing peace between God, ourselves, and those around us. As Jesus said in the beatitudes, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matt. 5:9).