We are still in chapter 27 of Genesis where we find our word for today is used for the first time in the Bible. שָׂטַם be at enmity with, be hostile towards, bear a grudge, cherish animosity, against. It is used 6 times in the Old Testament. A great insight into our word is seen in how David describes how his enemies feel about him in his prayer for God’s help. Psalm 55:3 For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they שָׂטַם bear a grudge against me. This is interesting because we have our word hate as an expression of what David’s enemy did with their anger towards him. So let’s bring this thought into our chapter today because this is exactly what we see going on with our word.
Genesis 27:41 Now Esau שָׂטַם hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” Esau feels this way because his own brother and mother conspired together to deceive him. As we saw earlier with David hate is a form of the core feeling of anger. At first we might think anger is bad what possible good could come out of anger because look where it took Esau. But the bible is consistent about anger not being bad in and of itself. Like the other eight emotions they are not bad but often people act irresponsibly with their feeling of anger and harm themselves and others. Which is exactly what we see happening with Esau. God actually wants us to feel the feeling of anger because he wants to take us to passion. Ephesians 4:26-31 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold … Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. So be angry what is he saying feel your feeling. Can you believe God said that? Wow. Feel your feeling of anger but do not use it an excuse to harm others to damage relationships to destroy what God is doing. So, we do that by not letting the sun go down what does that mean we immediately go to the person we are angry with and work to resolve it. Why immediately? Because if you push it down it will pop up in ways that will be harmful, and you will lose control of it. When we are resolving what we are angry about with the other person we speak how? “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths.” They may call you all kinds of things but you. You what? You do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building other up according to their needs. So, anger leads us to passion to work for the good of improving our relationships with others and others relationship with God.
Anger also indicates a need to take responsibility for other feelings. Anger acts as a warning signal telling us to stop and consider what is happening inside of us at what fear, hurt, sadness, or loneliness we are experiencing. Anger is the energy that allows us to admit these other feelings. It gives us vitality – the guts to confess, admit, or “show up.” This is why James instructs us to not just act on our anger but to stop and consider. James 1:19-20 Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. Did Esau stop and consider what other feelings he was feeling underneath his anger? Well let’s look at the next verse. This feeling is so strong that his mother describes it this way. Genesis 27:42 But the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son and said to him, “Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you. What would happen if instead of being like Esau we took our anger to God and allow ourselves to feel it in prayer and then go to the person we are angry with right away and only say things that would build them up. That would make all the difference in the world.
