Topical Bible: Anger: Connected With: Cruelty

◄ Anger: Connected With: Cruelty ►

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Anger, a powerful emotion often depicted in the Bible, can lead to various sinful behaviors when not controlled. One of the most concerning manifestations of unchecked anger is cruelty. The Scriptures provide numerous examples and warnings about the destructive nature of anger when it results in cruel actions.

Biblical Examples of Anger Leading to Cruelty:

1. Cain and Abel: The first recorded instance of anger leading to cruelty is found in Genesis 4:3-8. Cain, consumed by anger and jealousy towards his brother Abel, commits the first murder. The Lord warns Cain in Genesis 4:7 , "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires you, but you must master it." Cain's inability to master his anger results in the cruel act of fratricide.

2. Saul and David: King Saul's anger towards David, fueled by jealousy and fear of losing his throne, leads to numerous attempts on David's life. In 1 Samuel 18:10-11 , Saul's anger manifests in cruelty as he hurls a spear at David, intending to kill him. Saul's persistent anger and cruelty towards David are further illustrated in his relentless pursuit to take David's life.

3. Herod and the Innocents: In the New Testament, King Herod's anger and fear of losing his power lead to the cruel massacre of the innocents in Bethlehem. Matthew 2:16 states, "When Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he sent orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under." Herod's anger results in a horrific act of cruelty against innocent children.

Warnings Against Anger and Cruelty:

The Bible consistently warns against the dangers of anger and its potential to lead to cruelty. Proverbs 29:22 states, "An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression." This verse highlights the connection between anger and sinful behavior, including cruelty.

James 1:19-20 offers practical advice for believers: "My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for man's anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires." This passage underscores the importance of controlling anger to prevent it from leading to unrighteous and cruel actions.

The Call to Overcome Anger:

Believers are called to overcome anger and its potential for cruelty through the power of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4:31-32 instructs, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you." This exhortation emphasizes the transformation that comes from living a life led by the Spirit, marked by kindness and forgiveness rather than anger and cruelty.

In summary, the Bible provides clear examples and teachings on the connection between anger and cruelty, urging believers to seek the righteousness of God by mastering their emotions and choosing compassion over cruelty.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 49:7
Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Proverbs 27:3,4
A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath is heavier than them both.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Of Evil Angels
... kingdom." They are full of cruelty, of rage ... occasioned by, or at least connected
with, some ... and joy; impatience, ill nature, anger, resentment, " opposite to ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 72 of evil angels.htm

The Invasion of Greece and the Battle of Marathon.
... Hippias of Athens."His barbarous cruelty."Hippias among ... against them, and, to prevent
his anger from getting ... separate states, more or less connected, it is ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/darius the great/chapter xi the invasion of.htm

Reformation
... had permitted Tobiah to occupy an apartment connected with the ... Because of the cruelty
and treachery of the ... that turned away God's threatened anger and brought ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 57 reformation.htm

The Impossibility of Renewal.
... growth of this spiritual sense is connected by our ... men, such as covetousness, hypocrisy,
carnal imaginations, cruelty. ... He refers to the righteous anger of God ...
/.../chapter v the impossibility of.htm

To the Rev. A. Brandram
... not: or, if He hear and see, it is with anger. ... friend and foe, and to robbery join
cruelty so atrociously ... Luke; the two languages are surprisingly connected. ...
/.../borrow/letters of george borrow/to the rev a brandram 28.htm

Chronology of the Life of Christ.
... is in keeping with the well-known cruelty of Herod ... chronological statement, and may
have connected the census ... of Augustus, who wrote him in anger that "whereas ...
/.../history of the christian church volume i/section 16 chronology of the.htm

The Poetical Books.
... 17 to xxiv.22 is a more connected discussion, though ... and leads him to charge God
with injustice and cruelty. ... a righteous man is an indication of God's anger. ...
/.../gladden/who wrote the bible/chapter vii the poetical books.htm

The Dawn of Mind
... The Carnivora are responsible for Cruelty, Hate, and Grief ... twelve weeks emerges Jealousy,
with its companion Anger. ... animals unless some vital link connected them ...
/.../drummond/the lowell lectures on the ascent of man/chapter iv the dawn of.htm

The End
... It was ingenuity of cruelty to let him see for ... their life and prosperity are inseparably
connected with faithful ... and Nebuchadnezzar was 'the rod of His anger.'. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/the end.htm

Jesus Before Pilate.
... is a Galilean of no consequence, connected with no ... his habit of insulting people,
his cruelty, his continual ... his subjects, and yet fearing the anger of Tiberius ...
/.../the expositors bible the gospel of st john vol ii/xix jesus before pilate.htm