NextLevel Online: Praying the Psalms A Prayer for Everything

When you are angry, the LORD hears

This session explores how the psalmist, particularly David, channels his anger into prayers for justice, asking God to intervene. While acknowledging the harshness of the language at times, it emphasizes the importance of managing anger appropriately. Psalm 4, written during Absalom’s rebellion, highlights David’s plea for justice and his struggle to find rest amidst betrayal and threats. This study addresses the nature of justified anger, offers biblical examples of righteous anger, and provides practical ways to manage and resolve anger, emphasizing that the LORD hears and responds to our cries for justice. Other psalms addressing anger include 7, 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 79, 83, 109, and 137.
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When you are angry, the LORD hears

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The vision of Ozark Christian College is to glorify God by evangelizing the lost and edifying Christians worldwide. The mission of Ozark Christian College is to train men and women for Christian service as a degree-granting institution of biblical higher education.

Classroom Instructions

Lesson
16:37When you are angry, the LORD hearsWhen you are angry, the LORD hears

Session 4: When you are angry, the LORD hears (Psalm 4)

Summary: At times the psalmist expresses his anger at his enemies. These prayers for justice are expressions of the psalmist’s demand for God to make things right. While the language can be harsh at times, these psalms remind us that while anger can be justified, it must be appropriately managed. In Psalm 4, David asks God to intervene with justice on his behalf and help him to rest at night.

Background: The historical context of Psalm 4 is uncertain, but its similarities with Psalm 3 suggest that the two psalms were written at the same time, during Absalom’s rebellion. David experienced the threat of losing his life and all of his family at the hands of his rebellious son. You can read about these events in 2 Samuel 15-18. David’s heartbreak at his son’s betrayal must have been unimaginable, and with a mixture of anger as well as hope for justice and mercy, he penned this psalm.

Opening Questions:

  1. When was the last time you were angry? How did it turn out?

  2. Are you more of an optimist or a pessimist?

  3. Have you ever had someone be disloyal to you? How did you handle it? Would you have done anything differently in hindsight?

Study Questions:

  1. What four things does David ask of the LORD in the first verse?

  2. What does David seem to be angry at (vs. 2)? What does it mean that they are turning his glory into shame?

  3. Knowing what you do about David’s situation, do you think his anger is justified?

  4. Is David addressing himself in vs. 4? Or someone else?

  5. How does the instruction to “search your hearts and be silent” relate to controlling anger (vs. 4)?

  6. Read Mark 3:1-6; John 2:13-17; Mark 11:15-17. Why was Jesus’ anger justified? How did he express his anger?

  7. How does Paul further illuminate this teaching in Ephesians 4:25-32?

  8. What does it mean to “offer right sacrifices” (vs. 5)?

  9. What changed over the course of the eight verses of this psalm—the behavior of David’s enemies or David’s attitude toward them?

Application Questions:

  1. Are you more likely to explode in anger or smolder for a while first?

  2. Do you deal with anger differently depending on the context? At work? At home? With friends?

  3. What are the things that trigger your anger?

  4. This psalm offers many solutions for managing anger. Which is the most difficult for you: searching your heart, being silent, yielding your rights, trusting God, or going to bed and sleeping peacefully?

  5. When you are angry, how is it helpful to know that the LORD hears?

  6. It’s been said that “bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” If you are continually angry at someone, what do you need to do to move your heart from bitterness to forgiveness?

Other psalms of anger: 7, 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 79, 83, 109, 137

When you are angry, the LORD hears Instructions

Lesson
16:37When you are angry, the LORD hearsWhen you are angry, the LORD hears

Session 4: When you are angry, the LORD hears (Psalm 4)

Summary: At times the psalmist expresses his anger at his enemies. These prayers for justice are expressions of the psalmist’s demand for God to make things right. While the language can be harsh at times, these psalms remind us that while anger can be justified, it must be appropriately managed. In Psalm 4, David asks God to intervene with justice on his behalf and help him to rest at night.

Background: The historical context of Psalm 4 is uncertain, but its similarities with Psalm 3 suggest that the two psalms were written at the same time, during Absalom’s rebellion. David experienced the threat of losing his life and all of his family at the hands of his rebellious son. You can read about these events in 2 Samuel 15-18. David’s heartbreak at his son’s betrayal must have been unimaginable, and with a mixture of anger as well as hope for justice and mercy, he penned this psalm.

Opening Questions:

  1. When was the last time you were angry? How did it turn out?

  2. Are you more of an optimist or a pessimist?

  3. Have you ever had someone be disloyal to you? How did you handle it? Would you have done anything differently in hindsight?

Study Questions:

  1. What four things does David ask of the LORD in the first verse?

  2. What does David seem to be angry at (vs. 2)? What does it mean that they are turning his glory into shame?

  3. Knowing what you do about David’s situation, do you think his anger is justified?

  4. Is David addressing himself in vs. 4? Or someone else?

  5. How does the instruction to “search your hearts and be silent” relate to controlling anger (vs. 4)?

  6. Read Mark 3:1-6; John 2:13-17; Mark 11:15-17. Why was Jesus’ anger justified? How did he express his anger?

  7. How does Paul further illuminate this teaching in Ephesians 4:25-32?

  8. What does it mean to “offer right sacrifices” (vs. 5)?

  9. What changed over the course of the eight verses of this psalm—the behavior of David’s enemies or David’s attitude toward them?

Application Questions:

  1. Are you more likely to explode in anger or smolder for a while first?

  2. Do you deal with anger differently depending on the context? At work? At home? With friends?

  3. What are the things that trigger your anger?

  4. This psalm offers many solutions for managing anger. Which is the most difficult for you: searching your heart, being silent, yielding your rights, trusting God, or going to bed and sleeping peacefully?

  5. When you are angry, how is it helpful to know that the LORD hears?

  6. It’s been said that “bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” If you are continually angry at someone, what do you need to do to move your heart from bitterness to forgiveness?

Other psalms of anger: 7, 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 79, 83, 109, 137