I'm so angry I could spit nails!
I remember the first time I heard that phrase.
My grandfather and I were out for a morning of golf (a game I no longer play for reasons obvious to anyone who has ever played golf with me.)
My grandfather was about to hit his ball when another golf ball comes flying through the air and hits him square on his right leg.
Someone had gotten impatient and had teed off before we were far enough away.
My grandfather used every forbidden word I knew, and then, I’m pretty sure he made some up on the spot.
When we got into the cart, he said, “I’m so angry I could spit nails!”
Spit nails?
The image conjured is ridiculous.
Where would one get the nails to spit, did grandpa walk around with nails in his pocket?
What on earth could be gained by sticking them in his mouth and then spitting them back out?
I’ve since come to understand the origin of the phrase.
Its an idiom from carpentry. Carpenters have been known to hold nails in their mouths so they can use both hands in their work. This practice is probably a terrible idea from the standpoint of risk assessment, but anyone who has ever worked with a hammer has probably done it.
To yell at someone, you would have to spit out the nails. Whatever had angered you would have to be so impactful that you would rather lose the nails than keep your cool.
Our anger is often unjustified. When it is justified, it is sometimes handled poorly.
That’s why James says the following:
for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. (James 1:20 ESV)
However, God’s anger is always justified, and He never handles it poorly.
Consequently, David says the following in Psalm 30.
Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. (Psalm 30:4-5 ESV)
Sometimes the very premise that God might be angry can cause objections.
I was witnessing to someone when they said, “I could never believe in an angry God."
I responded, “I could never believe in a God Who never angered.”
Given all that happens here on earth, all the pain and sorrow caused by the actions of unjust people, I couldn’t imagine God looking at that and be stoically unmoved.
On the other hand, God’s anger is a problem for anyone who has violated His law or rebelled against His will. Since that’s everyone, except Jesus, we have a problem.
God gets justly angry at anyone for anything that is unrighteous.
That’s why God’s grace is so amazing.
God’s anger is but for a moment, and I happen to think that the ultimate fulfillment of this verse refers to a specific, historical moment.
The moment that Jesus died, God’s just wrath was thoroughly exhausted.
On the cross, Christ took the fullness of God’s wrath against you and I upon Himself, leaving no wrath left for us to experience.
That’s Paul’s message.
Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. (Romans 5:9 ESV)
Here’s some excellent news.
God isn’t angry at you.
He has every right to be.
It would be unjust for God to see all that you and I have done and not be angry at us for our sinful rebellion against Him.
But Christ took the wrath of God for us so that there is none left.
The moment of God’s wrath is gone; all that is left is the favor of a lifetime.
Keep safe, be well, and stay encouraged.
Brian