Is Yahweh (God) Ever Angry With You?

There is a prophesied day that will come, when Yahweh will gather all of His scattered ones. In this prophecy we see a lament looking forward to this restoration. Isaiah surely understood the full Gospel and knew that it involved an entire set apart People, not merely a bunch of “personal salvations” that produces individualistic “me and Jesus” conduct. What I’d like to briefly highlight however is found at the beginning of today’s text, which states this interesting line: “although you were angry with me.”

On my video channel I recently taught on the wonderful example of King Josiah. The High Priest of his day unearths a scroll that had been forgotten and abandoned, by his lawless and wicked fathers. And it was not just any old scroll. It was the Scroll of the Torah. Yahweh’s Law. Upon hearing the words within It, young Josiah declares what we also see here from Isaiah. Upon finding out the details to be holy as Yahweh is holy, Josiah discovered that he, and all of the land, was dirty and defiled. And the result? Yahweh was angry with them.

In fact, he states “great is the wrath of Yahweh kindled against us, since our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do everything written here that concerns us.” (2 Kings 22) The literal ignorance and lack of righteous living, according to the Law, caused Yahweh’s anger to be against them, as a people. They were guilty. Are we ever guilty? I know that may sound funny to ask, but the majority of Christian presentations would say “Not any more.” We’re encouraged to “settle personal sin”, receive the “free gift of salvation” and off we go!

I am often found saying, with great regularity, that within the Scriptures we are supposed to see ourselves. We too have inherited lies. We are quite ignorant. We have lost our identity. We have not acted according to what is right before Yahweh and men. Josiah discovered this. Others, like King Hezekiah experienced this. And Isaiah knew of this as well, as we read today. If we read what Isaiah was speaking of, directly before today’s verse, we would see him speak of Father “recovering a remnant.” We would see words like “assemble” and “gather.”

So, what about us? What about you, friend? Have you ever been in a place where the reading of the Law reveals your error and transgressions against Yahweh, like the righteous men of old? Or, are you simply “in Jesus” now and It just doesn’t matter? After all, we’ve all been told that words like “there’s no longer any condemnation for those in Jesus” pretty much frees us from all responsibility, right? “’God’ just isn’t like that anymore, on this side of the cross.” I believe that it would do us all well to be postured to welcome some hard rebuke that comes from the Word. And let us not read and then only think of others who “deserve” Father’s wrath and anger.  

There is a redemption coming. An ingathering of the scattered seed of Abraham. Father has rightly been angered as we all have wandered and forgotten His way. The scroll of the Torah will go forth from Zion, in the coming New Jerusalem age. It will literally be upon the hearts of Yahweh’s set apart ones. (Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10; 10:16) Are we in an age of grace? If properly defined, yes. Is Father demanding perfection or else we’ll all be zapped? No. We must mature out of old fables and cling to the entirety of the Word.

In Yeshua, a perfect example has been given. His life of walking perfectly before His Father has demonstrated how a man can be pleasing. All others have chosen to fail… and forget. But not the Son. Instead of wrath and anger, He received a “well-pleasing” approval from His Father. And now, we who truly desire to walk as He walked move towards the New Jerusalem end, where His great reward will live with Him forever. Let us start now to ready ourselves for that coming day. Selah.