Angry God

Something happened yesterday.

Most of us don't like the idea of an angry God. Ideas like the wrath of God are frowned upon or ignored. Our society scorns anyone who proclaims an angry God. I've got to confess, it's not a mainstay of my preaching. But something happened yesterday.

Firstly you got to know that I an not naturally an 'angry' father. I am the soft one in our household, quick to joke and abiding in 'she'll be right'. My wife often get's lumped with the bad-cop role while I play the good-cop to our kids. I am certainly slow to anger, too slow. But when I do I can be a volcano.

So yesterday our son did what sons do [might I say, what I used to do when I was his age!]. My wife was trying to deal with it but he wouldn't swallow his pride and do what she asked. We knew his tears were only crocodile tears as he was constantly trying to hide his conniving smile - he wasn't going to swallow his pride and submit.

I was avoiding getting involved [hiding behind the fact the my wife was doing the discipline and I didn't want to cut across her and undermine her]. But after 30mins it got too much. The volcano roared. Fortunately I didn't hit my son, but I wanted to and he knew it. While I got too angry - almost immediately my son pulled his head in and got on with it.

I always shock myself with how angry I can become. But this was unsettling in another way. I'd been thinking about an angry God and now circumstances seemed to collide to say something to me. We need an angry God.

Now while I was too angry - I realised my son needs an 'angry' father earlier than I want to be one. My wife needs an 'angry' husband to back her up and support her, to show my son she has my authority behind what she is asking. My son needs an angry father to feel safe and secure [more on that later]. In the same way, we humans need an angry God.

Angry, is not perhaps the correct word with all it's negative connotations. Perhaps the word is Awesome, awe-full. We don't want an awe-full God, because an awe-full God makes us swallow our pride, pull our heads in, and admit how stupid we are.

Kinda like we think, when we meet God we will have a few choice words with him about life. But I think, when we meet God it will be like finding ourselves in a hungry lion's cage. We will quietly soil our pants, fall on our knees and pray for mercy. All our bravado and pride will evaporate in a moment.

Our society needs to understand that we have an awe-full God to humble us, because for some, they will never pull their head in and do anything like the right thing until they know that there is an awe-full God in the heavens.

I noticed something similar as a boy growing up. One time my younger brother provoked my mum, in the presence of my dad [whom I get my temperament from] until my dad became the volcano. Once that happened my brother was satisfied. I observed and thought, this is absurd. My mum had been a volcano all morning, but once my dad got there, he submitted [there were no smacks or anything].

I can only suspect there is something going on subconsciously. Whether we like it or not the father is generally seen as the protector of the family. If someone attacks our family we expect that Dad will defend us. If the kids think 'this father couldn't bash his was out of a wet paper bag', how safe will they feel? My brother wanted boundaries, my brother wanted to know my dad was 'awesome', my brother needed to know Dad could defend us, so he could feel safe.

We need an 'angry' God to feel safe. If our God can't protect us, if our God can't defend us, if our God can't ensure justice, can he really be God?

I know from my teaching days that kids need an 'angry' teacher at times. Not simply an angry teacher, but they crave boundaries, they need someone with 'awe' to inspire them to be good and to work hard. I also know from teaching that you must be angry before you are angry. Once you are angry it's too easy to loose control. Something I'm reminded as a parent.

God says, 'I punish to the 3rd and 4th generation, but bless to the 100th.' God is an 'angry' God, but his mercy and love are times 300. God majors on mercy and minors on anger - it's good to know. But if we forget their is an awe-fullness to God I think we forget who God is, and we forget who we should be.