Anger Management for MenSample

This Was a Rager

What is the fear that makes you rage?

This is Vince Miller.

Our text today is from Matthew 2:16. It reads:

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. —Matthew 2:16

As we know, if human fear is not monitored and regulated, it can result in horrific acts of rage.

King Herod was known for being a deranged man and ruler. He frequently used intimidation and death to save face when he felt outmaneuvered. History states, he killed both his wife and two children. And here at Jesus’ birth, his outlandish fears continue his raging saga.

Herod responded by attempting to locate the boy who threatened his reign as king. But when he discovered that the wise men made him look foolish, he became furious. In a horrific act of rage born from fear, he killed all the Jewish males born over a two-year span to eliminate any threat to his throne.

This moment was appalling and disgusting. Yet it was rage born from one thing — unmoderated human fear. Rage and anger were only his secondary response. Therefore, hundreds of baby boys were murdered by one man’s fear.

Yet, the truth is, our fears have the potential to do the same if we don’t know them and don’t moderate them.

Here is your call to action today:

I want you to recall the last time you got angry with someone. It might have been a real rager. And then, try to remember what fear led to that response. Because a man who knows his fears is always better equipped to regulate his rage. And the man who fears not his fears, but only God, will always have the right response.