This morning I was reading about Moses. I hit a phrase that pushed me back into the wall and made me do some personal reflection.

The setting…

Moses had been attempting to persuade Pharaoh, the Egyptian ruler, to release the people of God, the Israelites, from slavery. They had been slaves in Egypt for over 400 years and the abuse had reached epidemic proportions! God, Moses, and the people had had quite enough!

Through a series of miraculous events, God continued to show Pharaoh who was boss… but Pharaoh refused to acknowledge and release the Israelites from slavery. After the next to last encounter with Pharaoh, the Bible says that Moses left Pharaoh’s presence, “seething with anger” (this is how The MESSAGE says it) or “hot with anger” (this is how the NIV translates it.) Bottom line, Moses was seeing RED!

Keep in mind that Moses was NOT an angry man by nature! In fact, Numbers 12:3 says that Moses was, “The humblest man on earth!” Something happened here that really cranked up his anger machine! What was it?

It seems to me that Moses, and other biblical leaders, really get outraged when God is ignored, dishonored, sidelined, or discredited. And most often this is the cause for anger when it’s his own people that do it (see Ezekiel 2:1-3:12, Mark 3:1-6).

When I read that, I stop and think: what makes me that mad? What makes me see red?

I know what makes me see red, and I’d love to know what pushes your temperature up.

What makes you mad?