“The discretion of a man maketh him slow to anger; And it is in his glory to pass over a transgression” (Provers 19:11, ASV).

The ark of the covenant had been in the house of Obededom for three months. David left it there after the Lord killed Uzzah for taking hold of the ark when the oxen that were pulling it stumbled. God’s act both displeased and frightened David, so he did not bring the ark to Jerusalem.

When David learned that the Lord blessed Obededom because the ark was in his house, he decided to bring the ark back to Jerusalem. David was happy that the ark was coming home, and he sacrificed an ox and a fatling along the way. Girded only in a linen ephod, he danced with joy.

As the ark came into the city, Michal, the daughter of Saul and David’s wife, looked out her window and saw David leaping and dancing. She became angry and despised him in her heart. Her anger cost her dearly, for God made her unable to have children.

How often does our anger harm us? More than we care to admit. There are reasons we should not let our anger rule us. First, only God and Jesus have the right to become angry. Why? They are the only ones who know a person’s heart. We don’t know why someone did what he or she did. Only God knows.

We must remember that all have sinned, and that includes us. Is someone else’s sin worse than ours? All sin separates us from God. If we want God to forgive us our sin, He has said we must forgive others.

Our anger, that ugly surge of emotion that overtakes us, hurts only us. It raises our blood pressure and twists our stomachs into knots. It can cause us to sin if we think evil things about the other person and say bad things about him. Terrible feelings lodge in our hearts. Instead of giving in to our anger, let us give a soft answer and turn away wrath.

Hymn: “Love One Another”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, when I become angry, help me remember that You paid the price for everyone’s sins, not just mine. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

Donna Wittlif, Denver, Colorado