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PART 11 - Figures of Speech in the Bible - God's Anger - God Smote I would like to focus in on II Samuel 6:7 because this verse contains both figures of speech: The anger of the Lord (condescensio) and God smote (idiom of permission).*
II Samuel 6:7 --- And the anger [wrath] of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error [negligence]; and there he died by the ark of God.
The word "anger" in the Hebrew is
aph, which means
"anger, wrath." Aph is taken from its root word
anaph and means,
"to be angry, to be displeased, to breathe hard." The Hebrew word for "kindled" is
charah and means,
"hot, burn, furious, become angry."Human affections and feelings are attributed to God: not that He has such feelings; but, in the infinite condescension, He is thus spoken of in order to enable us to comprehend Him and His Word.
II Samuel 6:7 states that God 's anger kindled against Uzzah and He smote him for his error. However, when a figure of speech is involved, what it states and what it is ACTUALLY is saying can mean two different things.Both these figures of speech draw a vivid mental picture for us because we all can relate to anger and death. The purpose of the Holy Spirit's markings is to draw attention to or place emphasis on a particular subject or event. When we read "God's anger or wrath and "God smote," we axiomatically look at the object or source of His anger. This is God's way of guiding our attention to that which is contrary to His Word and Will. There are many Christians today who accept the idea that God was literally furious with Uzzah and therefore literally smote or killed him. Is this what God is really saying? Is this the mental picture God is drawing for us of Himself? In order to understand the expression "the anger of the Lord," we need to understand what God's anger does not mean.
Genesis 49:5-75. Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.6. O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.7. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
"...In their anger they slew a man..." God calls this anger that killed a man, "fierce." Fierce means mighty, strong, forceful, and hardened. God is not fierce, forceful or hardened. God also calls their anger or wrath "cruel." Cruel means harden, stiff-necked, stubborn, pig-headed, severe and fierce. God is all light and all love, not cruel. It is obvious from these few verses that "...the anger of the Lord...and God smote..." is not a literal phrase.*The people in the Old Testament knew little about spirits and spiritual influences. They did not know what we know (Luke 10:24 and Colossians 2:15). It was available to know some things about spirits and spiritual influences (Numbers 5:14; Judges 9:23; I Samuel 16:14; Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:13-19; I kings 22:22; Job 1:6-12; I Chronicles 21:1).The children of Israel were not to mention other gods (Exodus 23:13). The "idiom of permission" allows God to be always in control of the situation. Satan is never glorified.We know that the wording "God smote," has to be an idiomatic usage of the language by knowing the New Testament which testifies that God is both Love and Light.
- God IS Love: I John 4:8: He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
- God IS Light: I John 1:5: This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
God did not have an angry "nature" in the Old Testament and a loving, good and kind nature in the New Testament.
Malachi 3:6a --- For I am the Lord, I change not. . . .----------------------------------------------"The anger of the Lord" is this figure of speech, "condescensio," which attributes the human characteristic "anger" to God. God is Spirit. He does not have the human emotion of anger such as we do; therefore, it is not true to fact and should not be taken in the literal sense of the meaning."God smote" is also a figure of speech called "idiom of permission." God smote Uzzah means God permitted or allowed Uzzah to die. The Old Testament is God dealing with Israel. Uzzah and the children of Israel were under the law of Moses along with other certain civil rulings. As a reminder, it was Israel who wanted the law; not God. They put themselves under the covenant of works and if they broke certain laws, a penalty was paid. In Uzzah's situation, the penalty was death.
Numbers 4:15:...but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die.
Uzzah disobeyed the commandment God gave concerning touching a holy thing. He touched the Ark and what God said would happen, happened because Uzzah died. What ACTUALLY took place concerning "the anger of the Lord kindled against Uzzah and God smote him for his error..." is NOT that God killed Uzzah on account of His wrath, but that Uzzah, because he broke God's commandment, brought upon himself the consequences or outcome of his own disobedience and negligence. In understanding the figures of speech employed here, we see this passage of scripture in a whole different light. We cannot separate God's love or nature from His "wrath or anger." God's "nature" is love. God*loved Uzzah and therefore He would not want to kill him. If anything would anger or displease God, it would be the lost one of His children. All of God's people are precious in His sight.
Psalms 116:15:Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
Some unfortunately believe this verse to mean that it is precious or good in the sight of God that he is dead. This is wrongly dividing the Word. It is never a good thing in God's eyes for His any of His children to die. Also, when one of His people die, they can not do any good for God and His people. The word "precious" in the text is "costly." It cost God when a "believer" dies. "Costly in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saint.Satan is the Author of death. This is not to say that he literally causes "every" accident or bad thing to happen. If someone is careless and slips on a pavement covered with ice, falls and dies, we could not say that Satan or a devil spirit caused the accident. However, death is the result of Satan's nature. Corruption and death entered into the bloodstream of man when Satan ushered sin into the garden of Eden.
Satan holds the power of sickness and deathIn the Gospel of Luke.
Luke 13:11-13:And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up [herself].And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.And he laid [his] hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.Luke 13:16:And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?
Satan bound this woman and Jesus Christ loosed or freed her from her bond. Satan did it...not God.
Hebrews 2:14:Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he [Jesus Christ] also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.I Corinthians 15:26:The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
God tells us in His Word that "death" is an "enemy." It is the last enemy that shall be destroyed or done away with. God is not in favor of death at all.God bless you,Agape