Proverbs 14:17 "He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated."
Proverbs 14:29 "He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly."
Proverbs 14:30 "A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones."
Proverbs 15:1 "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger."
Proverbs 15:18 "A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife."
Proverbs 16:32 "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city."
Proverbs 19:11 "The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression."
Proverbs 19:19 "A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment: for if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again."
Proverbs 22:24 "Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go."
Proverbs 22:25 "Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul."
Proverbs 25:28 "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls."
Proverbs 27:4 "Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?"
Proverbs 29:22 "An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression."
Proverbs 30:32 "If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth."
Proverbs 30:33 "Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife."
The company of an angry man is so unfit that Solomon warns against forming friendships with an angry man. Most are soon ridding themselves of angry friends. There is nothing pleasant about being around one who is always angry. Their bad temper seems to spill over and ruin even the merriest of occasions. Those who have this angry temperament seem to have little power to control it and it is always just beneath the surface.
If most take the opportunity to rid themselves of angry people as friends, then why would Solomon warn against having them as friends? Because there are always some who would associate with them and as pointed out in this verse, the results are usually disastrous. One who apparently did not heed this advice was one of Solomon's own children. It would appear from reading I Kings 12 that Rehoboam had friends who were angry and bad tempered. They gave him some terrible advice that not only crippled his political power but split the country into two separate factions. In reading how Rehoboam spoke to his subjects, it seems that he caught a bad case of the "angrys" from his friends. It is even possible that wise old Solomon was thinking of his young son and his angry companions when he penned these proverbs. No doubt father and son fought about his choice of friends. Rehoboam could not have possibly known how high the cost would be of his poor choice of friends.
A bad temper also rules us because it is so confrontational. Those who have this type of personality cannot keep it to themselves. And wherever they go strife seems to follow. The example of Rehoboam and his young advisors again is pertinent on this point. Shortly after they had come on the scene we see all types of strife and conflict going on.
The imagery that Solomon uses is very instructive. For a city in that day to have its walls down was of the utmost seriousness. This meant that the city was open to all sorts of problems and troubles. They had lost control of their household and surrounding area when this happened. Notice in I Samuel 25 how Nabal had allowed an angry spirit to rule him until he found himself in great peril and eventually died. This is not the only character study from Proverbs that we have looked at that brings great problems.
Anger if unchecked can lead to envy. We live in a world full of envy and prejudice and it can be traced back to anger over some long ago slight. In the case of racial prejudice, it can be rooted in anger over what one nationality did to the other nationality. We have certainly had our problems in this area in our country, but prejudice is not an American exclusive. It is rampant over all the world. It can exist even within families who war against themselves. The family of Jacob is certainly proof of this. The other brothers envied Joseph ( Genesis 37:11 ) until it drove them to sell him into slavery.
Not only does it give us problems but it gives us punishment. Problems can sometimes be handled and with a great amount of effort the angry man might be able to extricate himself from his problem at least on occasion. This verse makes clear that even if an occasional problem is handled, the angry man is one who is still penalized often for his behavior. Furthermore, even though these problems created by an angry man will hurt those around him; he will bear a tremendous punishment that no one can deliver him from. Solomon cautions against others trying to help out those of anger, because the job is never done. The angry man can create more bad situations than anyone can get him out of.
Surely this a very difficult thing to do. Nevertheless, it is expedient for those with an angry spirit to do a better job of controlling their thoughts. "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."Matt 12:34. The best way to get control of thoughts would be to discipline yourself to think of others. Much of the angry man's problems stem from the fact that his thinking is centered solely on himself. In the book of Esther we see an angry man, Haman, whose constant obsession on himself cost him his life.
While the ultimate goal is literally changing the thinking process because inappropriate comments that are not thought cannot be said, we must always be on guard to watch what we say. James well understood the power of the tongue when he said "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!" (James 3:5). He goes on in verse 8 to point out the folly of trying to control the tongue without the aid of the Holy Spirit. There is a saying often quoted by little children. We will hear them taunting that "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." I have often thought that whoever originated this saying knew a lot more about sticks and stones than about words. We know that harsh, angry words can open wounds that can span generations.
Again and again Solomon talks of the need to slow down on our wrath. I am not sure that time heals all wounds, but a little time in reflection before words or actions would keep a lot of wounds from being inflicted in the first place. Even when we need to take unpleasant actions or speak frank words, they should never be in anger.
During World War II the U.S. submarine Tang surfaced under the cover of darkness to fire upon a large Japanese convoy off the coast of China. Since previous raids had left the American vessel with only eight torpedoes, the accuracy of every shot was absolutely essential. The first seven missiles were right on target; but when the eighth was launched, it suddenly deviated and headed right back at their own ship. The emergency alarm to submerge rang out, but it was too late. Within a matter of seconds, the U.S. sub received a direct hit and sank almost instantly.
In much the same way we can destroy ourselves by hostility toward others. The effects of holding a grudge are very serious. Modern medicine has shown that emotions like bitterness and anger can cause problems such as headaches, backaches, allergic disorders, ulcers, high blood pressure, and heart attacks, to name just a few. When we do not love our enemies but strike back at them, we are usurping God's prerogative to mete out justice. We read in the Bible, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord!" By seeking revenge, we really inflict great harm on ourselves.
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