What angers God?

Deuteronomy 4:25“Do not corrupt yourselves by making idols of any kind. This is evil in the sight of the Lord your God and will arouse his anger.”

Romans 1:18God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.

Ephesians 2:2-3You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

God cannot ignore or tolerate sin because sin is a deliberate violation of his righteousness and makes him angry. God knows that when we sin, we are causing destruction and suffering in his world. The suffering caused by sin makes God sad and deeply angry. In his righteous anger, God judges and punishes guilty sinners.

Judges 2:12-14They abandoned the Lord . . . This made the Lord burn with anger against Israel.

When people deliberately turn away from God and abandon him, God becomes angry because he created them for relationship with himself—the only means to a truly abundant life. Their rejection of God is also a rejection of God’s eternal goodness and love.

Malachi 3:5“At that time I will put you on trial. . . . I will speak against those who cheat employees of their wages, who oppress widows and orphans, or who deprive the foreigners living among you of justice, for these people do not fear me,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

God gets angry when people neglect or abuse the unfortunate and those in need.