“The most irascible person is most likely to become apathetic in dangerous situations.” – Franz Grillparzer – Austrian Dramatist
IRASCIBLE means having or showing a tendency to be easily angered. We might call such a person quick-tempered, snappy, or hot headed. The opposite of irascible is placid, calm or peaceful— someone who is not easily upset or excited. The LORD uses the phrase ‘slow to anger,’ to describe His character when Moses ascends Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, “5Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. And He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:5-7) We see this combination of God’s love, mercy, and judgment when He introduces Himself. God is not irascible. It takes Him a while to become angry. What about you? Are you slow or quick to anger?
Christ’s followers must keep their irascibility in check. “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” (James 1:19-21) Proverbs 14:17 says, “A quick-tempered person does foolish things, and the one who devises evil schemes is hated.” Your anger may not look like someone else’s. Sometimes anger explodes. At other times it’s quiet but calculating, and it simmers. Certain circumstances or statements can cause anger to arise within us, but the character of God is for us to be merciful, compassionate, gentle and unhurried when it comes to anger.
