Fussin' and feudin', part III

We're continuing today to look at ways to resolve conflicts biblically. Let's look again at our old friend, Nehemiah.

I really like Nehemiah here, in the way that he interacted with the people. He truly is an example for all of us, whether we are in leadership positions, or not. You know, he could have thrown up his hands and said, "What do you expect from me? I've come away from the palace and invested my life with you people, and you want me to drop everything and handle these squabbles?" Or, "Wow, guys, I'm super busy right now, can you come back later?"
Not Nehemiah.
Nope.
He realized that these were significant problems. He recognized that some people were doing wrong. He saw that people were suffering.
So, he stopped his work on the wall to listen and to help.

It's interesting that his first reaction is that he got angry. Does that surprise us? Let's read:

When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. (v 6)

Some believers today feel like anger is all wrong -- never allow it. They deny their own anger, swallow it down, even get self-righteous about it. Everybody around them can see the reality of the anger, and it many cases, it's justified!
Other believers have bought into the psychology and "feelings-based" thought of today, and they say that there is no right or wrong in anger - it just happens. They think people should just go ahead, "let loose" and express it, and own up to it.
I think I'd rather consult the Bible on this, wouldn't you?
The Bible is clear in its teachings -- most anger is sinful, but some anger is righteous.

“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,  (Ephesians 4:26)

Don’t sin by letting anger control you.    Think about it overnight and remain silent.  (Psalm 4:4)

In Mark 3, we see that Jesus was angry at the hardness of heart of the Pharisees, but that He did not sin.

 Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. (Mark 3:4-5)

And we are all familiar with His anger at the use of the Temple for buying and selling as if in a market.....
How do we know the difference between the anger that is "good" and the anger that's "bad"? If our anger is because of the sinful treatment of others, we can move toward constructive means of resolving the problem -- that may be righteous anger. If our anger is about a wrong committed against ourselves, it could very well be righteous, but it's possible that selfishness or pride are mixed in with it! We need to be very careful to examine our own motives before the Lord.
It's absolutely right to get angry about sinful things like child abuse, pornography, abortion, and more. We can take that anger and use it as we get involved in constructive ways to fight those problems, and try to eradicate them. It would, however, be sinful to respond with violence against those who participate in those sins. We must make certain that our anger is directed in righteous ways.
Like Nehemiah.
He stopped himself.

 I pondered them in my mind (v 7a)

Nehemiah didn't go into a rage.
He didn't start shouting immediately.
He didn't jump too quickly.
He didn't, as my grandma would say, "go off like a rocket."
He stopped. He took time to cool off. He thought about the issues, and as we have seen that Nehemiah is a man of prayer, I think we can safely assume that he prayed about the situation. Only then did he take action.
This is the biblical way:

A hot-tempered man stirs up strife,But he who is slow to anger and patient calms disputes. (Proverbs 15:18, AMP)

He who is slow to anger is better and more honorable than the mighty [soldier],And he who rules and controls his own spirit, than he who captures a city. (Proverbs 16:32, AMP)

We are exhorted by James to follow this same strategy:

This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; (James 1:19, NASB)

Whether we are in leadership roles or not, we would do well as believers to follow Nehemiah's example. He exercised self control.
He was righteously angry, but he paused, and prayed.
We'll talk next time about how he confronted the situation.