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"And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:   But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.   And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him" (Genesis 4:3-8).

"Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous"  (I John 3:12).

WARNING: "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil"  (Ephesians 4:26-27).

"And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;  When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth"  (Genesis 4:11-12).

What did Cain miss?

1. A relationship and fellowship with God.
2. A fellowship with his brother.
3. A fellowship with other people.
4. Blessings of fruitfulness in his life.

Their sister, Dinah, was raped by Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite.

"And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter; which thing ought not to be done"  (Genesis 34:7).

They tricked Shechem, his father and the men into being circumcised saying that then they could then marry into Jacob's family.

"And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males"  (Genesis 34:25).

"And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house"  (Genesis 34:30).

LATER:  Jacob spoke this over his sons:

"Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.  O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.  Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel"  (Genesis 49:7).

What did they miss?

1. They missed peace in the land they traveled.
2. They missed the blessings of their father and of God.
3. They missed unity in the family.

"And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.  And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.   And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?  And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well"  (Exodus 2:11-15).

What did anger cost him?

1. He had to leave his home and family.
2. He had to leave his position.
3. He lost his living in the palace of the household of the daughter of the king.

Yet, Moses continued to have a problem with anger.

"Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them"  (Exodus 16:20).  We find him angry at the people for not respecting what he had told them to do.

"And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount"  (Exodus 32:19).  Even Aaron recognized Moses' hot temper. "And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief"  (Exodus 32:22).

What did it cost him?

1. The loss of the two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
2. He had to return back up the mountain and cut out two more tables of stone.

Again, Moses still had a problem with anger.

"And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them"  (Numbers 16:15).

"And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.  And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.  And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?  And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them"  (Numbers 20:7-12).

What blessing did Moses miss?

1. He missed the praise of God.
2. He missed going into the promised land (What he had been looking forward to for 40 years).

Still Moses wrestled with anger.

"And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle. And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?"  (Numbers 31:14-15).

"And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle"  (I Samuel 17:28).

"And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?"  (I Samuel 17:29).

What did it cost him?

1. It cost him his fellowship with his younger brother, David.
2. He missed out on being a hero with David.

"And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king"  (I Samuel 15:23).  Here we see some roots to anger: pride and selfishness.

"And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel"  (I Samuel 15:26).

"And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? And Saul eyed David from that day and forward. And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand. And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice" (I Samuel 18:8-11).

"And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand.  And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night"  (I Samuel 19:9-10).

What did his anger cost him?

1. His pride and selfishness cost him the loss of being the king.
2. His anger (from jealousy) cost him his friendship with David.
3. His anger opened the door for an evil spirit to control his life.

"Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?"  (I Samuel 20:30).

"So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame"  (I Samuel 20:34).

What did his anger cost him?

1. His fellowship with his son Jonathan.
2. His fellowship with his wife.

"And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.  And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them"  (II Kings 2:23-24).  Here we get an indication of Elisha's anger although the children should not have made fun of him.  The punishment doesn't seem to fit the crime.

Remember: What Jesus said, "Judge not, that ye be not judged."  (Matthew 7:1).  It seems that Elisha got sick for no other reason than his anger.  "Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof"  (II Kings 13:14).

He still remained a person given to be angry.  "And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice. And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year" (II Kings 13:19-20).

What did anger cost him?

1. It may cost him his fellowship with the king.
2. It may probably cost him his life.

Asa failed to trust God and relied upon a league with Benhadad king of Syria when the king of Israel came up against him.  When he was told by the prophet Hanani that he would have wars thereafter because of this act he became very angry. "Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time"  (II Chronicles 16:10).

Furthermore, it is obvious that he was also angry at God.  "And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians"  (II Chronicles 16:12).

What did it cost him?  "And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign"  (II Chronicles 16:13).

1. It cost him his fellowship with the prophet.
2. It cost him his fellowship with his people.
3. It cost him his fellowship with God.
4. It cost him his health.
5. It cost him his life.

"And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.  And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.  And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine"  (Luke 15:28-31).

What did anger cost him?  "And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine"  (Luke 15:31).

1. It cost him his fellowship with his father.
2. It cost him his fellowship with his brother.
3. It kept him from enjoying what was rightfully his.

Real Answers For Suicidal Thoughts
Life Is Unfair

"A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger"  (Proverbs 15:1).
"A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife"  (Proverbs 15:18).
"He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city"  (Proverbs 16:32).
"The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression"  (Proverbs 19:11).
"A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath"  (Proverbs 21:14).
"He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail"  (Proverbs 22:8).
"A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath is heavier than them both"  (Proverbs 27:3).
"Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?"  (Proverbs 27:4).
"Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools"  (Ecclesiastes 7:9).