Angry God
Opening Prayer
So great a God, so great a love, so great a salvation, so great a destiny! Lord, my heart is overwhelmed.
Read 1 SAMUEL 2:27–36
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
27 Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your ancestor’s family when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? 28 I chose your ancestor out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your ancestor’s family all the food offerings presented by the Israelites. 29 Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’
30 “Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained. 31 The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house, so that no one in it will reach old age, 32 and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, no one in your family line will ever reach old age. 33 Every one of you that I do not cut off from serving at my altar I will spare only to destroy your sight and sap your strength, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life.
34 “‘And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you—they will both die on the same day. 35 I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always. 36 Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread and plead, “Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat.”’”
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Close your eyes and quietly sing or hum the children’s chorus, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so” (Anna Bartlett Warner, 1827–1915), or reflect on those words.
On July 8, 1741, Jonathan Edwards preached “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” perhaps the most famous sermon in American history. “O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in: it is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God.’”
That’s what today’s passage feels like. The unnamed man of God (27) delivers an extended prophecy leaving no doubt what God thinks: he’s angry about the sins of Eli and his sons and has decided that the time for punishment has come (30–34). What do we make of God’s anger?
Before answering that, we need to reflect on the personal tone of this prophecy: “Did I not clearly reveal myself…?” (27); “I chose… I gave… I prescribed… I promised…” (28–30). Sin is not just a technical violation of some forgotten rule book, like The Rules of Golf. It’s a personal offence against a holy God. David understood this when he prayed, “Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight” (Psa. 51:4).
Today, some welcome the idea of God’s anger, perhaps because they assume he’s angry at other people. This was the mistake the religious leaders of Jesus’ day made. Others see God as having a split personality: angry in the Old Testament, kinder and gentler in the New. However, an honest look at Scripture shows that his character is consistent: from Genesis to Revelation, God is “slow to anger, abounding in love” (Psa. 103:8). Fortunately, the prophecy ends with a hopeful note: God intended to raise up a faithful priest (35), who in the short term was the boy Samuel but ultimately was his own Son, Jesus Christ, proving for all eternity that God’s love is unbelievably personal.
Apply
Ask God to give you an opportunity today to show his love to someone who doubts it.
Closing prayer
Father God, forgive me where I have betrayed Your calling upon my life. I seek You and Your kingdom again today, and I ask You fill me afresh with Your Spirit.
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2025 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Encounter with God is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.