When Grieving, Don’t Sin in your Anger!

Ezekiel 32

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, July 9.

Anger is one of the five stages of grief, along with denial, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. It is normal for a grieving person to oscillate between the five stages, returning to their anger time and again, especially if the death was tragic or untimely. Ezekiel 32 ends the four-chapter indictment of Egypt with the sixth and seventh oracles of judgment. They were given in 585 BC, just a few months after the exiles of Israel had learned about the fall of Jerusalem, so the historical context is that of a grieving community who had recently learned of their capital city’s fall and Judah’s devastation. It should be not surprising then that verses 18-21 capture the depths of their grieving process:

Son of man, wail for the hordes of Egypt and bring it down, her and the daughters of the powerful nations, to the nether world, with those who go down to the pit; … The strong among the mighty ones shall speak of him and his helpers from the midst of Sheol, “They have gone down, they lie still, the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.”

Repeatedly, the prophet condemned Israel’s enemies, telling them to make their bed with the uncircumcised (pagans) and to lay down with those who had fallen by the sword. This was a condemnation and shame upon not only Egypt, but all foreign nations who had either arisen against Israel or who had failed to protect her. Ezekiel taught that they would go to the “nether world,” which literally means “the lower parts of the Earth.” He called it “the pit,” which was referencing Sheol, the place of the dead. In Ezekiel 26:20, he compared it to the “ancient waste places.” How do you treat others when you are grieving? Have you ever cursed anyone in your anger?

Seize the moment by blessing and not cursing – don’t sin in your anger when you are grieving (Ephesians 4:26-27; Romans 12:14-21). Get help today by seeking grief counseling.

God bless you!

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YOUTUBE:

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