SLOW TO ANGER

July 15, 2019

 

A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook a transgression. (Proverbs 19:11)

We’ve all experienced it. Some of us have a harder time with this than others. And, there are certain people that we have a greater struggle with in this age-old problem. Sometimes it's those that we are closest too and love the most.

It is easy to explode. To fly off the handle. To let our anger erupt before we’ve even thought about what is happening.

DISCRETION

The writer of Proverbs says that one of the things that slows anger down is discretion. Other translations use the word “sensible.” The Hebrew word can also be translated and defined as “insight, understanding, prudence, i.e., the capacity to understand and as a result act.”

Slowness to anger is a thinking response. In other words, the man who is wise, who has understanding, who has insight, controls himself. He realizes the fruitless and even destructive nature of a quick temper and restrains himself. He understands that it accomplishes nothing of value and merely complicates the problem.

TAMING THE EMOTIONS

The fool doesn’t think. He lets his emotions totally control his response. "He who is quick-tempered exalts folly" (Proverbs 14:29). If we want to overcome this, we must grow in understanding of what explosive anger is and does. We must realize how foolish it is. By letting the Holy Spirit fill us and control our lives, we must think before we respond.

The Spirit is the One who can produce the self-control we need, but we must place ourselves--intentionally and continually--under His leadership.

OUR GREATEST GLORY

... is to overlook a transgression. To be willing to suffer in order to achieve God's righteous responses. The one who overcomes this is seen as a great man for "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city" (Proverbs 16:32).

We should be willing to be wronged and not take offense. When we are tempted to anger, we must take a long look at the cross. No one suffered more unjustly and forgave more unconditionally.

IT'S POSSIBLE!

We can overcome this! God could not give us these admonitions if it were not possible by His grace and the power of the Spirit within us. This should give us hope and the urgency to move intentionally to see this as a "such were some of you" issue in our lives.

We must study anger throughout the Bible. Look what it accomplishes and how destructive it can be. Become sensible and wise. Let the Spirit take greater control and when we feel anger rising (which is usually because we think someone has stepped on our rights or misunderstood or falsely accused us), we should think and pray deeply before we let any words come out of our mouths.

Uncontrolled anger is never helpful. It will do nothing but further complicate the problem. Every time we respond in anger, we are not promoting God's righteousness, but aborting it, for the “anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God" (James 1:19-20).

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