I gotta have my orange juice.

Here are some references I collected in preparation for a small group discussion on anger from Ephesians 4:26-27.

Much is written of God’s anger and wrath in Scripture. We should remember that his anger is subordinate to his love. After all, he is “abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon [him]” (Ps. 86:5). In themselves, everyone is subject to God’s wrath, but God offers the gift of life and salvation to all. It is only those who reject and despise him, “neglect[ing] such a great salvation” (Heb. 2:3), who are subject in the end to his jealous anger (e.g., Deut. 6:14-15). So we see that although God has a righteous anger, even this grows up out of a more fundamental mercy. As we see in Exodus 34:6 (also elsewhere, such as Num. 14:18, Neh. 9:17, Ps. 103:8ff, 145:8ff, Joel 2:13, Micah 7:18, Nahum 1:3), the very name of Yahweh identifies him as “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”

Likewise, God wants us to be people whose most basic instinct is to show patience and mercy rather than anger at personal offenses. We are to put off the “enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy” that are “works of the flesh” (Gal. 5:19-20) and put on “the fruit of the Spirit, [which] is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23).

Here are some verses that speak of our anger:

Psalm 4:4

Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.

Psalm 37:8

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

Prov. 14:29

Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

Prov. 15:18

A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.

Prov. 16:32

Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

Prov. 19:11

Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

Prov. 29:22

A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.

Prov. 30:33

For pressing milk produces curds, pressing the nose produces blood, and pressing anger produces strife.

Eccl. 7:9

Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.

Matt. 5:22

But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Eph. 4:26,31

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger. . . . Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Col. 3:8

But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

1 Tim. 2:8

I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling.

James 1:19-20

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.