The Hunger of the Spirit

“And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly.” — z SAM. xi. 6.

Vi HAT a strange effect of the Spirit! I “would have looked for anything but that. I thought the Spirit of Christ meant love; here I am told that its mission was to create anger. Yes, but have you never heard of an anger which is compatible with love? Have you never read of “the wrath of the Lamb”? Think you that the Lamb had lost the Divine Spirit when He burst into wrath? Nay, it was the presence of that Spirit that gave Him His wrath. There is an anger which is human, and there is an anger which is Divine. Human anger resents the hurt; Divine anger resents the wrong. Human anger is wounded in its pride; Divine anger is wounded in its heart. Human anger laments the injury to self; Divine anger laments the injury to God. Human anger cries out for revenge; Divine anger cries out for atonement.

Spirit of Christ, who hast come to consecrate my whole human nature, consecrate my anger too. Thou art not come to destroy but to fulfil. Thou art not sent to mutilate my present powers but to redeem them from mutilation. There are times in which I do well to be angry, but I have mistaken these times. I am angry at the gourd because it withers; I should be angry with the cause of its withering. I am eager to revenge an individual offence, but I am regardless of the principle from which the offence springs. Create within me Thine own Divine horror of that which blights the gourd. Inspire me with that ‘love of love” which implies ‘the scorn of scorn and the hate of hate.” Rouse me into that groaning of the spirit whose tears are born not of weakness but of holy passion — the passion against malice and hatred and envy and all uncharitableness. Wake me into sympathy with that fiery zeal which burned with indignation to see life’s temple desecrated. The passions of my heart belong now to the Mammon of unrighteousness; transport them into the service of righteousness, and they shall become Thy friends. When Thy fire shall baptize my soul I shall know what it is to “(be angry, and sin not.”