It is interesting to note that during the prophetic blessings on his children, Jacob blessed everyone singularly, but when it came to Simeon and Levi, he cursed them together (Genesis 49:5-7). There was no separation at all. He didn’t want to waste his time singling each out to say the same things. He just called them together, bare his heart and sent them away.

Ungodly anger is a deadly disease. I don’t know yet why God hates anger so much maybe because of the destruction and tearing apart that often follow it. I know that some people regard immorality as the worst sin – that could have its basis, but you see ungodly anger? That’s a whole dirty thing in God’s sight. He hates it.

One of the best life hacks to learn is how to diffuse anger. I mean, how not to get angry with certain things, control your anger and think clearly. Anger pushes us to react disproportionately to an offence because we want to inflict more pain on the offender than what we currently feel.

We are often selfish when angry, not minding what the consequence on our relationship would be. We want to let that boiling emotional lava out of our hearts. This often results in regrets afterwards as we see the devastation our uncontrolled rage has caused.

Simeon and Levi had championed the massacre of the people of Shechem because the prince defiled their sister, Dinah. What made Jacob sad was how and when the massacre happened. The people of Shechem were deceived into circumcision of every male including old men if they wanted to marry Dinah.

Then, on the third day, when the inflammatory reactions and pain of the circumcised region were worse and all the men were possibly down with fever, the Sons of Thunder went to the city and slaughtered all the men. That was cruelty. That was unquantifiably disproportionate to the sin of Shechem.

Jacob, the patriarch was so unhappy even after decades of the occurrence in Shechem. He was still wrath with his two sons who spearheaded such massacre. So, at the time of his earthly departure, he remembered and cursed their anger.

He told them that instruments of cruelty are stored in their houses. Anger has multiple instruments that are found in the houses of angry men. They can be jealousy, envy, pride, arrogance, murder, ungodly competition, destruction, betrayal, impatience etc. Anger makes a man turn from a puppy to a carnivorous animal in a split second.

Oh, my soul, do not ever attempt to gather together with them when they meet. Such an environment is so toxic and unhabitable for my soul. Let my presence never come into where they discuss their matters because there is no air there. It is suffocating and dense with redness.

If it were possible, Jacob would have disowned them. Forbidden them never to be surnamed after him because their anger was fierce, cruel, and ungodly.

The wrath of man does not work out the righteousness of God (James 1:20).

Therefore, it is time to pray that ungodly anger exits our lives. We need to study the Bible until our angry emotion is tamed by the counsel of the Scriptures (Ephesians 4:26-27, 29-32). We must rely on the Holy Spirit to control and subdue every ungodly anger that tends to rise in us when offended.

Prayer: Lord, deliver me from anger and angry men.