Mark Tabata’s Weekday Devotionals:
Tuesday February 3 2026
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Mark 3:5-And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.
Anger often gets a bad rap.
Please don’t misunderstand: unchecked anger, and actions resulting from such uncontrolled anger, can be a serious problem for humanity. Paul wrote:
Ephesians 4:26-27-BE ANGRY, AND DO NOT SIN”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil.
This passage makes it clear that anger is not, in and of itself, a sinful thing. Of course, we recognize this from understanding that God Himself experiences anger.
Psalm 7:11-God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day.
We see the same thing from Jesus, here in Mark 3:5. The Lord was angry at the hardness of the hearts of the people, especially when that spiritual obtuseness prevented them from showing mercy and compassion on those who were suffering.
Anger can certainly become a problem if we allow it to consume us. Years ago, some doctors made these powerful remarks about out of control anger:
“The moment I begin to hate a man, I become his slave. He controls my thoughts. He controls my feelings. He even controls my dreams. Stress hormones constantly surge through my bloodstream and wear down my body. My work becomes drudgery. I tire easily. My windowed office seems like a cell in Alcatraz. Even while sailing the Chesapeake Bay, resentment ruins my relaxation. The spinnaker may be billowing in the breeze, but I might as well be a seasick galley slave. The one I hate hounds me wherever I go. I can’t escape his mental tyranny. The waiter at the seaside restaurant may be serving up a blackened swordfish or a chocolate mousse, but I feel like a dungeon prisoner eating stale bread and musty water. My teeth chew the food, but the one I hate has stolen my pleasure. King Solomon must have had a similar experience, for he wrote: “Better a simple salad with love, than a sumptuous feast with hostility” (Prov. 15: 17). The man I hate may be soundly snoring many miles from my bedroom; but more cruel than any slave driver, he whips my thoughts into a frenzy. My Perfect Sleeper mattress becomes a rack of torture. I am, indeed, a slave to everyone I hate….But Paul’s writings on anger show no hint of his Greek education. Instead he wrote: Kill off every part of you that belongs to your earthly nature. . . . Give up your old habits—anger, rage, meanness, slanderous gossip and spiteful talk…. Instead . . . form new habits: compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience. Be patient with the faults of others, and forgive whoever wrongs you, just as the Lord forgave you. In summary, make a habit of LOVE. Colossians 3: 5, 7-10, 12-14 As with Paul, the Spirit’s transformation is not some magical, once-for-a-lifetime event. It is a daily struggle. As Paul said, it is a matter of unlearning the old habits of hostility and learning to “make a habit of LOVE.”” (S.I. McMillen (M.D.) and David E. Stern (M.D.), Nome Of These Diseases: The Bible’s Health Secrets For The 21st Century, 3003-3051 (Kindle Edition); Grand Rapids, Michigan; Revell a division of Baker Publishing Group)
Unrighteous anger that is left to fester and boil turns into wrath, malice, and bitterness. We must beware of this, and with the Lord’s help not allow it to lead us into sin.
However, there are times in the Scriptures when anger is shown to be a good thing.
First, anger can be good when it is righteous. Throughout the Bible, God is shown to be angry with sin and with sinners. Indeed, we read examples of how God can work through righteous human anger.
Psalm 76:10 (ERV)-Even human anger can bring you honor when you use it to punish your enemies.
Notice here the Bible shows us that anger can bring honor to God when it is channeled in the right way.
Second, anger can be a good thing when it causes us to reflect on injustice and wrongs in the world and lead us to do something about it. In Ephesians 4:26, Paul is quoting from the Old Testament.
Psalm 4:4-Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah
The psalmist in this passage is exhorted to “meditate within” his heart while on his bed. What is he thinking so deeply about? The context shows that he is meditating upon the unjust suffering inflicted by the wicked on the innocent.
Here is a thought: perhaps we need to spend more time contemplating the suffering of the innocent. How many sleepless nights do we suffer for the poor and the abused?
Notice how his anger leads David to godly action. He is not going to act rashly and sin through his anger. Instead, he is going to allow that anger to fuel his meditations in wholesome ways to combat injustice. In this case, David is going to do what he can especially by remembering God’s deliverance of the innocent in times past (Psalm 4:1). The king is going to exhort the wicked to repent (Psalm 4:2), pray for God’s intervention (Psalm 4:3,5, 6), cease from anxiety as he trusts in the Lord’s goodness and providence (Psalm 4:4), and rest in peace as he continues to rely on God’s intervention in the world (Psalm 4:7-8).
Please observe that David is moved to positive action by his anger. When we see injustice in the world of man, we should be angered! Then, we can allow that righteous indignation to move us to help bring about positive reform.
Do we not see the same thing with Nehemiah?
Nehemiah 5:6-And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words.
Here, Nehemiah confronts the rich leaders in the land of Israel who were extorting the poor and needy. His anger was not out of control: it was measured and controlled, and led to needed reforms among the people.
In the Bible, anger can be good if it leads to reflection, correction, and reformation. When anger is allowed to fester and leads to corruption, provocation, and devestation, it needs to be seriously examined.
What are some ways that we can channel anger into righteousness in our lives?
How can we tell if our anger is righteous or unrighteous?
Father, grant us wisdom in regard to anger. Help us to learn to be angry, and sin not. Amen.