1 Samuel 15:3 & 9 & 23 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

Israel swore an oath to obey the word of the Lord and then failed to keep the oath. The consequences for breaking that oath was far reaching. History took a new path and the lineage of the kingdom took a new path. One could argue that all that could have been was destroyed.

I cannot help but look to the choices made without God. To seek the Lord and to be shown the path is to walk in the blessings that God has for those who love and obey Him. Men make oaths and break them because they do not follow God. The lesson is the same, the oath has been broken and the consequences are far reaching.

God has set certain principles in place which exist for both those who believe and those who do not. The principles exist irrespective of your awareness of them. Learned men would do well to understand that. Even secular wisdom has witnessed the fallout from these principles.

Jeremiah 31:8 They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble:

Straight paths offer an opportunity to see ahead.

Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

It is not a sin to be angry. Anger is only an emotion, a feeling. Anger in and of itself does nothing external, outside your mind. Anger is a natural state. We will get angry. It is what you do about anger that is important. Do you let it stew until the pot boils over and you explode? Then you have sinned, you have allowed it to affect others.

We are encouraged to deal with anger, not to allow it to continue. I have found from experience that I get most angry about things that are not within my control. I have allowed frustration to become something more than it ought to be. Note the colon at the end of verse 26? Something completes this thought.

Ephesians 4:27 Neither give place to the devil.

Satan is like a fox that hears a wounded rabbit whimper, he comes a running. I don’t want to have to deal with Satan. I don’t need to hear his lies and I care not to be harassed by him. So anger should be dealt with as quickly as possible. Before the sun sets, meaning deal with it now. One other piece of good advice followed this verse in connection with anger.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

The last thing that your friends and brothers and sisters in Christ need is for us to fuel the frustration and anger that they share. Just because you agree with shared anger with a brother or sister does not mean that Christ is in agreement with you. Speak and pray peace over the issues. Let grace lead you to His will and perhaps His plans for you.

It is impossible to hear a still small voice while screaming.