Joel M Bradshaw

11God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day.–Psalm 7

David spent Psalm 7 pondering man’s wickedness and God’s judgment. The word he used for indignant is a rare one and can mean ‘anger, curse, denounce, and abhor.’

Jesus showed indignation when he cleansed the temple (John 2). He was angry, but didn’t make it about his personal vengeance. I was counseling someone last week and she talked about being angry and not sinning. I shared with her that I am weak in this area. I might have a righteous anger for just a bit and then my heart gets selfish. That selfishness is the garden where sin grows. I recommend not nurturing anger, even the indignant, sinless one.

God takes sin and sinners seriously. He is not some passive God who doesn’t care. He didn’t just wind the watch of the universe, put that watch in a drawer, and simply walk away. David presents God as personal, caring, and active in our lives and situations. God is indignant on a daily basis.

My anger produces selfishness in some form. I have to daily put a check on my angry heart and attitude. Most of the forgiveness I seek from my family members has been made necessary by anger and the words that flow from that anger.

God is indignant. He responds personally and morally towards wickedness and injustice, but he isn’t selfish or seeking revenge to satisfy that selfishness. He takes my sin and your sin seriously. He cares about how we each live our lives. I think we should, too.–JMB