âSpeak when you are angry, and you will make the best speech youâll ever regret.â âLaurence J. Peter
Of course we all get angry. If we let it out we might burn up the people around us, but if we hold it in we might blow up inside. What are we to do when weâre burning mad?
Nehemiah was in the midst of a massive building program, with enemies of Israel threatening to attack at any moment, and then people start coming to him with reports of the ungodly lifestyle among some of Israelâs leading families.
To say Nehemiah was hot is an understatement (Nehemiah 5:6). The Hebrew word means boiling mad, scorching hot! We would do very well to notice how he handled this situation.
First, âI pondered these accusations in my mind…â (v. 7a). He didnât fire off the first thoughts that came to mind.
Second, â…then I accused the nobles and officials. I told them, âYou are loan-sharking your own countrymenââ (v. 7b). He made a very specific point without elaborating on all the gory details.
Third, he gave them an opportunity to respond (v. 8).
Fourth, he called them all together and said, âWhat youâre doing isnât right. You are not following Godâs ways, and you are giving God a bad reputation to those outside our communityâ (v. 9).
Fifth, he used his personal lifestyle as an example (v. 10).
Finally, he asked them to change their behavior (v. 11).
Pretty simple:
- Wait
- Think
- Make the accusation simple
- Give them a chance to respond
- Hold them to a high standard
- Live out the standard yourself
- Ask for a change of behavior
The next time youâre burning mad, try this and see what happens.
