I Was Only A Little Angry

Zechariah 1:14-15
Then the angel who was speaking to me said, “Proclaim this word: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, (15) and I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. I was only a little angry, but they went too far with the punishment.’

Israelites sinned against God. God warned them repeatedly but they didn’t listen. Eventually, God had to punish them by allowing Syria to take captive Northern Israel and Babylon to take Southern Israel. God allowed His people to be taken to captivity for seventy years. Prophet Zachariah is speaking at the end of seventy years of slavery. At the end of seventy years punishment for sin.

In our text today, God tells us that He is very jealous of Israelites. God tells us that His love for Israelites is too great to the extent that He is concerned someone else may win them away from Him. The people God is expressing love for do not even love God. They have lived in captivity for too long and no longer care about anything. God loves them, but they are indifferent to the things of God. Later on Malachi the prophet comes to address this indifference. The point is that God loves us even when we do not love Him, and He hopes to win us over to Himself.

God further tells us that, He is very angry with the nations that feel secure. Nations that make fun of Israel. Nations that feel Israel went to captivity because of a weak army. Nations that think that Israel is suffering because they are not as smart as them. Nations that use Israel’s misfortune as a measure of their success. Nations that do not sympathize with Israelites. God says that He is not angry, but that He is very angry with them.

God gets very angry when we rejoice at the suffering of others, even if He is the one who caused that suffering. God gets offended, very offended when we think we are better than others since they are suffering and we are not. If you think that you are smarter or better because the pain others have is not yours, you are getting God angry.

When people feel secure they make comments in public and in the hearing of others to suggest that they are smarter than those who are suffering. That is what the Bible says as nations that feel secure. To feel secure because you are comparing your situation with that of others is offensive to God. You should not suggest or behave as if you are smarter than others. That is bragging, pride, and arrogance it offends God.

It also offends God because you really are not secure or smarter, it is the fact that God has favored you or is punishing the other one. If God targeted you, you would go down instantly. If God exposed you to what He has exposed others, you wouldn’t survive. God gets angry because when He cushions you from disaster and lets others suffer you brag as if you did it without God.

We are not secure because we are hardworking. Others lost jobs and we didn’t, it is not because we are better but because we are favored. We shouldn’t hurt the feelings of those who lost their jobs. What makes you feel secure? Connections with people who matter? Lots of money? High level of education? Your own competence? God warns that using your false sense of security to hurt the feelings of others offends Him.

We also should therefore learn that God listens to what we say about others. When we make baseless bragging, God is listening. When we hurt the feelings of others God listens and takes note. We should guard our hearts and tongues, now that we know that God is ever listening.

Finally, God tells us that He was just a little angry. It was in that moment of little anger that He allowed His people to go into captivity for seventy years. Sometimes when God is a little angry with us we fail exams, we incur losses, we lose jobs and businesses, we get sick, we lose loved ones, etc. When that moment of anger passes, God restores us.

God gave other nations a chance to punish Israel. Those nations did more than they were asked to do. God tells us that other nations went too far when God gave them a chance. God knows when we go too far. God doesn’t like it when we go too far. When God asks Moses to talk to the rock so that the people can get water, Moses hits the rock twice and speaks in anger. Moses went too far. If during reconciliation you make difficult demands from your opponent, God knows and He doesn’t like it when we go too far. God wanted you to warn the person, but instead, you fired the person. You went too far with the punishment.

Dear God, in your little anger against my sins, keep me safe from those who go too far in their punishment. Save me from false pride in my own notion of security. May I experience your deep love for me, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

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