Habakkuk 3:12-13
12 In indignation You marched through the earth; In anger You trampled the nations.
13 You went forth for the salvation of Your people, 
For the salvation of Your anointed. 
You struck the head of the house of the evil To lay him open from thigh to neck. Selah.

Habakkuk tells us why.  People always want to know why God allows evil in the world and why God allows this and why God allows that.  Notice in verse 13 it is for the salvation of Your people.  It is for the salvation of Your Anointed.  You could say that the anointed refers to the people who He is saving or you could say that it refers to the Anointed One.  Regardless, God struck the house of evil.  Who is that?  Genesis 3 describes the fall of man into sin and the dominion established by the house of evil by man's fall.

Who is the Anointed One?  Christ is Greek for the Hebrew word Messiah.  Messiah means Anointed One.  The Anoined One is the Saviour, the Rock, the Lamb, the King, etc.  Jesus is the Anointed One.  Jesus is the Messiah.  Jesus is the Christ.  Jesus came to put an end to death.  But you might ask, so why do people still die?  Because God is gracious.  First, Jesus put an end to spiritual death since no man went to heaven until after the Messiah was raised from dead.  See John 3:13.  Second, God is waiting and giving man an opportunity to be adopted as His child by walking in faith that Jesus is the Christ.  God is patient, but He will judge.

Open your bibles to . . .

Matthew 5:21-24
21 "You have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not commit murder' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.'
22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
23 Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,
24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

Notice the 'without a cause' phrase under Key Point is from the King James translation and below is the New American Standard translation.  Almost all other translations in this program come from the New American Standard version.  I did not plan it that way, but that is how it worked out so we will just go with it. 

In prison, conflict will occur.  It is not uncommon for inmate Christians to show up to class with black eyes.  I was a fighter as a young man so I understand.  As a Christian, it is not the fighting that I have a problem with, but the emotions behind the violence.  Boxing is one of the best forms of exercise, but if a man is seeking to hit you out of anger you must find out why.  If he just wants to workout using boxing as the form of exercise, then get the gloves out and let's roll.  If he has an issue with you, then put aside the gloves and talk it out.

Man is made in the image of the Living God.  The bible tells us that God is Spirit.  The bible shows us that God has emotions which includes anger.  So do we.  One of the most common descriptions of God is that He is slow to anger.  It is not the emotion which causes the problem in our lives, but the lack of control of our emotions.  It is like a gun.  The gun is not the problem, but the man behind the trigger.

Open your bibles to . . .

Galatians 5:13-26
13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 
14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 
15 But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. 
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 
17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. 
19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 
20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 
21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 
24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 
26 Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another. 

God is described as love.  Life with God is described as joy.  Jesus is described as the Prince of Peace.  He gives us a peace that surpasses understanding.  People following Christ tend to be the most kind, good and faithful people in this world, but the self-righteous religious Christian Pharisee will turn those attributes into evil.  Think about the crusades and all the innocent blood spilled by self-righteous religious Pharisees under the veil of Christianity. 

Did you know you can hurt God's feelings?  Your obedience can bring a smile to God's face and your disobedience can being a tear to His eye.  When you read the Old Testament stories of the nations of Israel and Judah, you can see God's love, anger, joy and sorrow with His people.  As a Christian, you are His chosen people too.  As a matter of fact, as a Christian you are His adopted child which provides you with a closer relationship than God ever established with the nation of Israel or Judah. An Israelite would never consider calling God 'Daddy' because that title was just too personal.  Jesus taught the Jews to approach God in that way. Jesus said to call him "Abba" or 'Daddy'.  Abba basically means Daddy.  This blew the Jewish Pharisees away.

Open your bibles to . . .

Matthew 21:8-17
8 Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. 
9 The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!"
10 When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, "Who is this?" 
11 And the crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee." 
12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. 
13 And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you are making it a robbers' den."
14 And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. 
15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they became indignant
16 and said to Him, "Do You hear what these children are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself'?"
17 And He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there. 

Did Jesus get mad?  The bible does not tell us that He got out of control when He drove out those merchants and overturned the tables.  It makes me think of a warrior.  A warrior is just doing his job when he fights.  He is not emotionally engaged.  I am sure a warrior in the heat of battle is dealing with a ton of emotions, but a good warrior is not out of control.  Maybe Jesus acted like a warrior, just doing His job and taking care of business.  He was making a deliberate point that this activity of buying and selling in the temple was very wrong.  He was showing more regard for the temple than the priests and scribes who worked there.  Or He could have been angry and the bible just not tell us? 

I really think it is interesting that the blind and lame came into the temple afterwards and were healed.  This happened after Jesus cleaned out the temple.  I'm not sure and I am guessing, but I do not think that the average person would go to an angry person who is acting out of control and ask if He would heal you.  But you would go to a person of authority. Jesus was claiming His possession like a person at the lost luggage counter at the airport.  I think Jesus acted as a Man in control when He cleared the temple and that would be appealing to those in need.

Open your bibles to . . .

Exodus 34:4-9 (6)
4 So he cut out two stone tablets like the former ones, and Moses rose up early in the morning and went up to Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and he took two stone tablets in his hand. 
5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the Lord. 
6 Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and aboundingin lovingkindness and truth; 
7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations." 
8 Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship. 
9 He said, "If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though the people are so obstinate, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your own possession." 

God describes Himself as slow to anger.  As a parent, I can relate.  I try to be slow to anger as a parent, but kids just drive you to the breaking point.  God describes Himself as compassionate.  He is gracious.  He is abounding in lovingkindness.  Think about that verse from Galatians 5.  God is abounding in truth.  He keeps lovingkindness for thousands.  He forgives iniquity.  He forgives transgression.  God forgives sin.  But He will punish the guilty.  OK, I love God.

Personally, I would want to always be around someone who is slow to anger, compassionate, gracious, and abounding in loving kindness and truth.  We should want other people to describe us in this manner, but I do not think anyone could actually qualify except for God Himself.

How does man avoid being found guilty?  Jesus is the way and the truth and the life.  No man comes to the Father but through Jesus.  See John 14:6.  Man can be hid inside Jesus as the Christ and that man can be found innocent if . . . you abide in Jesus. 

Exodus 15:1-3
1 Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and said, "I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.
2 "The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will extol Him.
3 "The Lord is a warrior; The Lord is His name.

Do you think of God as a warrior?  Do you consider yourself a warrior?  What is the relationship between a warrior and personal anger?  When it is time for judgment, the warrior arrives.  As a husband, when my wife is testing me, as wives do, the warrior must show up.  As a father, when discipline is due the warrior must show up.  When the man in the mirror is being disobedient and testing God, the warrior must show up and do battle using the Word to take thoughts captive and tear down strongholds.

2 Corinthians 10:3-6
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 
4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 
5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 
6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete. 

Paul describes this life as a battle.  We are at war and you need to see yourself as a warrior.  Sometimes that battle rages against the man in the mirror in preparation of your service to our Lord outside your tabernacle by loving other people enough to stand in the gap.  So when does anger enter the picture?  Only after the love of Christ has been rejected.  Then we must pray.  Pray in anger against the enemy, not the person, but the enemy which is spiritual.  This is not your battle, but you are the representative.

Open your bibles to . . .

Joshua 5:13-15
13 Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?" 
14 He said, "No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, "What has my lord to say to his servant?"
15 The captain of the Lord's host said to Joshua, "Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so. 

Who is the Captin of the Host of the Lord?  Jesus.  See Exodus where the Angel of the Lord (Jesus) told Moses to remove his sandals.

Open your bibles to . . .

Jonah 3:6-10
6 When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes.
7 He issued a proclamation and it said, "In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. 
8 But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. 
9 Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish." 
10 When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them.  And He did not do it.

Jonah 4:1-4
1 But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry. 
2 He prayed to the Lord and said, "Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country?  Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. 
3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life." 
4 The Lord said, "Do you have good reason to be angry?"

Jonah says he knows God is one who relents concerning calamity.  God is slow to anger and will relent from calamity.  That is a good combination for mankind.  Turn to God while He can be found.  When will God's anger come forth?  After the love of Christ has been rejected.

Open your bibles to . . .

Isaiah 42
1 "Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights.  I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 "He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street.
3 "A bruised reed He will not break And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 "He will not be disheartened or crushed Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law."
5 Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it And spirit to those who walk in it, 
6 "I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations,
7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.
8 "I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.
9 "Behold, the former things have come to pass, Now I declare new things; Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you."
10 Sing to the Lord a new song, Sing His praise from the end of the earth! You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it.  You islands, and those who dwell on them.
11 Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voices, The settlements where Kedar inhabits.  Let the inhabitants of Sela sing aloud, Let them shout for joy from the tops of the mountains.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord And declare His praise in the coastlands.
13 The Lord will go forth like a warrior, He will arouse His zeal like a man of war.  He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry.  He will prevail against His enemies.
14 "I have kept silent for a long time, I have kept still and restrained Myself.  Now like a woman in labor I will groan, I will both gasp and pant. 
15 "I will lay waste the mountains and hills And wither all their vegetation; I will make the rivers into coastlands And dry up the ponds. 
16 "I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, In paths they do not know I will guide them.  I will make darkness into light before them And rugged places into plains.  These are the things I will do, And I will not leave them undone."
17 They will be turned back and be utterly put to shame, Who trust in idols, Who say to molten images, "You are our gods."
18 Hear, you deaf!  And look, you blind, that you may see.
19 Who is blind but My servant, Or so deaf as My messenger whom I send?  Who is so blind as he that is at peace with Me, Or so blind as the servant of the Lord? 
20 You have seen many things, but you do not observe them; Your ears are open, but none hears.
21 The Lord was pleased for His righteousness' sake To make the law great and glorious.
22 But this is a people plundered and despoiled; All of them are trapped in caves, Or are hidden away in prisons; They have become a prey with none to deliver them, And a spoil, with none to say, "Give them back!"
23 Who among you will give ear to this?  Who will give heed and listen hereafter?
24 Who gave Jacob up for spoil, and Israel to plunderers?  Was it not the Lord, against whom we have sinned, And in whose ways they were not willing to walk, And whose law they did not obey?
25 So He poured out on him the heat of His anger And the fierceness of battle; And it set him aflame all around, Yet he did not recognize it; And it burned him, but he paid no attention.

Life is about perspective.  God wants to give you new eyes to see the world.  God wants His kids to have perspective. 

What if you knew the time of your death?  What if you had one hour before you knew that you would die?  Would you really care about looking for tires for your car?  No, but you might get some for your wife's car or a set for your kid's car.  You would want to make sure that they are taken care of.  That is temporal stuff.  What about eternal stuff?  Share the eternal love of God with your family in the form of Jesus as the Christ.  I think you would have a whole new perspective on people and the few hours we have in this life.  You would have a new perspective.

As a child of the Living God, I understand that this life is only a stepping stone to eternal life.  I have been adopted as a child to the Creator of Heaven and Earth.  He is the King which makes me a Prince.  My challenge is to walk according to my adopted birthright.  That is my battle with the man in the mirror; to take my thoughts captive, destroying all speculations against the knowledge of God as I do battle destroying fortresses of disobedience in my own life. 

Open your bibles to . . .

Mark 3:1-12
1 He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. 
2 They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 
3 He said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and come forward!"
4 And He said to them, "Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?"  But they kept silent. 
5 After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 
6 The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him. 
7 Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a great multitude from Galilee followed; and also from Judea, 
8 and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, a great number of people heard of all that He was doing and came to Him. 
9 And He told His disciples that a boat should stand ready for Him because of the crowd, so that they would not crowd Him;
10 for He had healed many, with the result that all those who had afflictions pressed around Him in order to touch Him. 
11 Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, "You are the Son of God!" 
12 And He earnestly warned them not to tell who He was. 

We do not know if Jesus was angry when He turned over the tables in the temple, but here in the gospel of Mark it says that Jesus was angry.  Jesus was angry with these religious leaders because of the hardness of their hearts.  How is your heart?  Think about this situation as compared to the time when He drove out the money changers from the temple.  They were rejecting the Christ and now they are testing the patience of the Living God.  What about you?  Notice the scene surrounding this situation.  Jesus has Jews and Gentiles traveling from all around the territory to see Him because of the miracles.  Demons would testify that Jesus was the Son of God as they fell down before Him.  These leaders would not open their eyes and see the Anointed One, but they were stuck in self-righteousness.  Think about that.  What about you?

Open your bibles to . . .

Genesis 4:6-7
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry?  And why has your countenance fallen? 
7 If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up?  And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." 

God says that you must master it.  You must master it.  You have a part to play.  You have a job in this process.  First, you must see that you are a fallen person made in the image of the Living God under the dominion of sin and death.  Second, you must ask for God's grace.  Third, you must receive God's grace. 

Open your bibles to . . .

Numbers 12:5-10
5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the doorway of the tent, and He called Aaron and Miriam. When they had both come forward, 
6 He said, "Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. 
I shall speak with him in a dream.
7 "Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful in all My household; 
8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, Even openly, and not in dark sayings, And he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant, against Moses?"
9 So the anger of the Lord burned against them and He departed. 
10 But when the cloud had withdrawn from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow.  As Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, she was leprous. 

Open your bibles to . . .

James 1:17-22
17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. 
18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures. 
19 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; 
20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. 
21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. 
22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 

Open your bibles to . . .

Numbers 32:6-15
6 But Moses said to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Reuben, "Shall your brothers go to war while you yourselves sit here? 
7 Now why are you discouraging the sons of Israel from crossing over into the land which the Lord has given them? 
8 This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. 
9 For when they went up to the valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the sons of Israel so that they did not go into the land which the Lord had given them. 
10 So the Lord's anger burned in that day, and He swore, saying, 
11 'None of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob; for they did not follow Me fully, 
12 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have followed the Lord fully.' 
13 So the Lord's anger burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the entire generation of those who had done evil in the sight of the Lord was destroyed. 
14 Now behold, you have risen up in your fathers' place, a brood of sinful men, to add still more to the burning anger of the Lord against Israel. 
15 For if you turn away from following Him, He will once more abandon them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all these people." 

Open your bibles to . . .

Psalms 2
1 Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
3 "Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!"
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying,
6 "But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain."
7 "I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.
8 'Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.
9 'You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'"
10 Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth.
11 Worship the Lord with reverence And rejoice with trembling.
12 Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled.  How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!

Open your bibles to . . .

Psalms 103:1-11
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits;
3 Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases;
4 Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
5 Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
6 The Lord performs righteous deeds And judgments for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel.
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
9 He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.

Open your bibles to . . .

Isaiah 10:1-6
1 Woe to those who enact evil statutes And to those who constantly record unjust decisions,
2 So as to deprive the needy of justice And rob the poor of My people of their rights, So that widows may be their spoil And that they may plunder the orphans.
3 Now what will you do in the day of punishment, And in the devastation which will come from afar?  To whom will you flee for help?  And where will you leave your wealth?
4 Nothing remains but to crouch among the captives Or fall among the slain.  In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away And His hand is still stretched out.
5 Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hands is My indignation,
6 I send it against a godless nation And commission it against the people of My fury To capture booty and to seize plunder, And to trample them down like mud in the streets.

Open your bibles to . . .

Hosea 13:1-11
1 When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling.  He exalted himself in Israel, But through Baal he did wrong and died.
2 And now they sin more and more, And make for themselves molten images, Idols skillfully made from their silver, All of them the work of craftsmen.  They say of them, "Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves!"
3 Therefore they will be like the morning cloud And like dew which soon disappears, Like chaff which is blown away from the threshing floor And like smoke from a chimney.
4 Yet I have been the Lord your God Since the land of Egypt; And you were not to know any god except Me, For there is no savior besides Me.
5 I cared for you in the wilderness, In the land of drought.
6 As they had their pasture, they became satisfied, And being satisfied, their heart became proud; Therefore they forgot Me.
7 So I will be like a lion to them; Like a leopard I will lie in wait by the wayside.
8 I will encounter them like a bear robbed of her cubs, And I will tear open their chests; There I will also devour them like a lioness, As a wild beast would tear them.
9 It is your destruction, O Israel, That you are against Me, against your help.
10 Where now is your king That he may save you in all your cities, And your judges of whom you requested, "Give me a king and princes"? 
11 I gave you a king in My anger And took him away in My wrath.

Open your bibles to . . .

Psalm 78:19-35
19 Then they spoke against God; They said, "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
20 "Behold, He struck the rock so that waters gushed out, And streams were overflowing; Can He give bread also?  Will He provide meat for His people?"
21 Therefore the Lord heard and was full of wrath; And a fire was kindled against Jacob And anger also mounted against Israel, 
22 Because they did not believe in God And did not trust in His salvation.
23 Yet He commanded the clouds above And opened the doors of heaven;
24 He rained down manna upon them to eat And gave them food from heaven.
25 Man did eat the bread of angels; He sent them food in abundance.
26 He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens And by His power He directed the south wind.
27 When He rained meat upon them like the dust, Even winged fowl like the sand of the seas,
28 Then He let them fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their dwellings.
29 So they ate and were well filled, And their desire He gave to them.
30 Before they had satisfied their desire, While their food was in their mouths,
31 The anger of God rose against them And killed some of their stoutest ones, And subdued the choice men of Israel.
32 In spite of all this they still sinned And did not believe in His wonderful works.
33 So He brought their days to an end in futility And their years in sudden terror.
34 When He killed them, then they sought Him, And returned and searched diligently for God;
35 And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer.

Open your bibles to . . .

Numbers 11:1-6
1 Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the Lord; and when the Lord heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. 
2 The people therefore cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord and the fire died out. 
3 So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them. 
4 The rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, "Who will give us meat to eat? 
5 We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, 
6 but now our appetite is gone.  There is nothing at all to look at except this manna."

Open your bibles to . . .

Numbers 11:10-15
10 Now Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, each man at the doorway of his tent; and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly, and Moses was displeased. 
11 So Moses said to the Lord, "Why have You been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all this people on me? 
12 Was it I who conceived all this people? Was it I who brought them forth, that You should say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom as a nurse carries a nursing infant, to the land which You swore to their fathers'? 
13 Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me, saying, 'Give us meat that we may eat!' 
14 I alone am not able to carry all this people, because it is too burdensome for me. 
15 So if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness." 

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Numbers 11:32-33
32 The people spent all day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers) and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. 
33 While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very severe plague. 

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Numbers 12:6-15
6 He said, "Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, shall make Myself known to him in a vision.  I shall speak with him in a dream.
7 "Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful in all My household;
8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, Even openly, and not in dark sayings, And he beholds the form of the Lord.  Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant, against Moses?"
9 So the anger of the Lord burned against them and He departed. 
10 But when the cloud had withdrawn from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. As Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, she was leprous. 
11 Then Aaron said to Moses, "Oh, my lord, I beg you, do not account this sin to us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned. 
12 Oh, do not let her be like one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes from his mother's womb!" 
13 Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, "O God, heal her, I pray!" 
14 But the Lord said to Moses, "If her father had but spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be shut up for seven days outside the camp, and afterward she may be received again." 
15 So Miriam was shut up outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was received again. 

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Numbers 20:11-13
11 Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. 
12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them." 
13Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the Lord, and He proved Himself holy among them.