Righteous Anger and Corrective Action

Thursday, September 29, 2011
Reading: Nehemiah 5:6-11
Reflection: In this passage we see one of the few times where Nehemiah becomes angry with his own countrymen. His anger, however, is justified. The nobles and officials were taking advantage of their position and making money on the backs of those who were working hard to restore the city. So Nehemiah allows his righteous anger to take corrective actions. First, Nehemiah confronts evil in the presence of all people. In this way everyone knows that evil will not be tolerated in the restored city of God. Second, he outlines the corrective actions to be taken to make the situation as right as possible. Finally, he commands those who need to take these actions to do so as soon as possible. As we will find out, the nobles and officials agree to do exactly what Nehemiah calls them to do. We see a couple of truths through this passage. First, it is not wrong to become angry. In fact, a godly person is right to feel indignant in the face of evil. Second, when filled with righteous anger, the thing to do is confront the evil in a way that brings justice. We may not be able to do all that is needed, but we can do all that we can to correct the impact of evil in our society. If we as Christians will allow our righteous anger to bring corrective action, we will truly be salt and light in our world.