S) "19 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God."
James 1:19-20 (NASB)
O) There are a few things to note in this brief passage from James (also, this opening chapter is just as full of richness as any sing chapter of the Bible). For starters, James did not shy away from reputation or redundancy. With a topic so important as this, it had been discussed preciously. But, it's importance is exactly the reason he wants to reiterate it. Jesus Himself taught us to be careful with our words, so being slow to speak and quick to listen, these are already in line with His teaching. Just pausing on those two principles for a moment, these are really a matter of love. When someone is talking to us, let alone teaching from a place of authority, we love them by patiently listening. We love a person by hearing them out, by seeking to better understand their heart, not just their words. We love them by waiting our turn to speak, preferring them above ourselves, and giving them the first right to express their heart (as Jesus said, our words are an expression of our heart). This matter of being quick to listen and slow to speak, is an outward expression of our humility. The second part, being slow to anger, is an inward reflection or our humility. Again, so much of this has to do with preferring one another. This is still a matter of love, and being unselfish. Just as we have long been taught to be holy as the LORD is holy, it should also be our goal to have His other righteous characteristics. One of the most common descriptions of God throughout all Scripture, is that He is slow to anger. It should be our aim to be like Him this way. Patience requires humility. Patience requires trust in God. This rolls right into the next point James makes. We are emotional beings. We received these emotions from God, who Himself is an emotional being. He has regret and grief (see Genesis 6:5-6), He has joy and pleasure (see Psalm 149:4, Matthew 3:17). He also has anger. Sometimes that anger has a quick result (2 Samuel 6:7), and sometimes the result is a long time coming (see Ecclesiastes 8:11). The main thing, and this cannot be forgotten, is that God is perfect in His emotions, and we are not. Our emotions are often born from our brokenness. Because He is operating from perfection, His emotional reactions are perfect. Because we are operating from broken hearts, from sinful character, from incomplete information, we are prone to wrong emotional reactions. While the emotions themselves, and even anger itself, is not exactly a sin (see Ephesians 4:26), what James teaches us is that there is a significant difference between what he calls the anger of man, and what we understand to be God's perfectly justified anger. We simply are not able to operate in our own anger, and also operate for His righteous purposes. Now, if we are angered by the same things that anger God, that could, maybe, possibly, be different. But, before we are tempted to say it is good for us to share His anger, again, there is the matter of humility. We must trust that if there is injustice, pain, or evil at work, that our Lord is sovereign and just, and vengeance belongs to Him alone. We don't need to share in His anger, when we trust in His character. He sees every injustice. He is sovereign, and He alone has the right to say when and how a person ought to be punished for their evil behaviors. Nothing will escape His perfect, righteous judgment. No one can fool God, no one will escape His mighty arm.
A) James goes on to describe how difficult it is to control the tongue (chapter 3), and I first hear that passage from a Third Day song, "Nothing At All." That so g was a heavy conviction to me, and 20 years later, it still is. When I first hear it, I was living with constant chaos in my home. My mom and step-dad argued, fought, yelled constantly. Saying nasty things to people was commonplace at home, as siblings learned to say searing things from parents who harnessed bitterness to hurl blame. As I worked through those teen years, I saw the truth of Scripture regarding the dange of words. But, in a lot of ways, my pendulum swung too far. I became afraid to speak, in a lot of ways. Early in my relationship with Kristin, if we had a fight about something, I tended to clam up. So afraid, I was, that I would say things I couldn't unsay. Over the years, my understanding has changed, and God has been working my pendulum back to balance. The Scripture does not say, "be quick to shut up." Speaking is still important. I should be measured and careful with my words, but I should still have them. Also, being quick to hear is just as important as slow to speak. That has been a process, too, as I still struggle with patience while listening to people. Sometimes, I genuinely have to pray before a conversation, that God will help me hear the other person. Otherwise I am tempted to go into "fix it" mode, and I am certainly prone to interrupt them, too. About anger, there was a time when that was a very real struggle to me. Some of that was circumstantial, and the rest has been the grace of God delivering me from anger and giving me peace. There are still times, specific things, that I know will tempt my anger, but generally this part of the passage is a reminder for me to consciously put my trust in God as judge. My anger is never going to accomplish His righteousness. His anger is perfectly held by Him alone, as He needs none of my help with His emotion.
P) Father, You are a perfect judge. You see the heart of man, my heart, when I can only see the outer man. I am seldom in a place to see myself clearly, let alone others. Help me to be patient, to consciously be motivated by love, to hear people when they speak. Let love motivate me to speak up, and to seek Your guidance for the words to speak. Let me trust that my wife, that my kids, my brothers and sisters, can hear me with the same grace You have given me, given to them also. Injustice persists in the world, God. Help me be patient, and to put my trust in You by daily, humble, submission to Your sovereignty and wisdom. You have every right to show mercy to whom You'll show mercy, to be patient with whom You'll be patient, and to execute judgment on whom You will judge. Let me remember how much I rely on Yiur mercy and patience, as I place my trust in Jesus' sacrifice in place of my own judgment. Thank You for the grace at work in me. I ask that You continue to give me wisdom and patience in my conversations, and freedom from anger, as I humble myself as Your servant. Let Your will be done. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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