Nothing really happened today – I worked all day long at the florist and was on my feet all day long and so had no opportunity to stand when a gray-haired person came into the room. My two bosses have gray hair and I honored them the best I could by following their instructions.
However, I had an appointment with my counselor the previous day and we talked about anger. The passage from Leviticus 19:17 has been on my mind - “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.” I don’t know how to handle this passage. In some areas of my life I have difficulty being angry when it is appropriate. However, in other relationships in my life I struggle with inappropriate anger.
The prescription found in Leviticus for anger in relationships is somewhat unhelpful in my current relational situations. “Reasoning frankly” within the relationships would cause more harm than good. Wenham’s commentary on the passage states that “the value of having things out with people rather than brooding on them is mentioned more than once in the Bible” (268). The passage is aimed toward peace and love between members of the nation of Israel as well as an effort to cut down on lawsuits and murders. The next verse is, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”
I must take this passage in the context of the rest of scripture. I am trying to move down the path of righteousness and am wanting to love my neighbor as myself. However, at the same time I recognize that relationships are complicated and the journey is long toward love and peace. I need grace daily.
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