PROVERBS 22
Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise,
and apply your heart to my knowledge,
18 for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you,
if all of them are ready on your lips.
24 Make no friendship with a man given to anger,
nor go with a wrathful man,25 lest you learn his ways
and entangle yourself in a snare. – Proverbs 22:17-18,24-25
PROVERBS 22 OBEY GOD’S WORD & AVOID THE ANGRY
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
As you serve your Lord Jesus Christ, you will hear his voice
His followers will listen to the truth that comes from his word
All who belong to him will be faithful to draw near him
They will make no friendship with those who habitually sins
Don’t associate with the angry or you’ll learn their habits
They will keep you trapped in the cycle of iniquities.
The writer of the book of Proverbs gives us an antidote for anger in verse 17. He says that if we listen to the word of God and follow what it says, we will become wise. Even before the enemy attacks us, we already have a weapon because it is the sword of our spirits as Ephesian 6 says. In 2 Timothy 3:16, we are given the importance of Scripture because it says that it is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness so the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. In Joshua 1:8, we are also commanded to meditate on the word of God, day and night. In Psalm 1, the blessed man who loves the word of God and takes delight in the law of the Lord is likened to a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruits in its season and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does he prospers.
Now that we know the remedy for anger, we are also advised to keep away from those who are prone to wrath. In Psalm 1, we are cautioned not to have anything to do with the wicked and evil one and in the book of James we are instructed to be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger because the wrath of man does not produce God’s righteousness. James also reminds us to be doers of the word and not hearers only and to have a humble posture when we receive the word of God because it has the ability to save our souls. Does this mean that anger is bad? No, God has a purpose for anger. Righteous anger is God’s response to sin. We are told to be angry but not sin in Ephesians 4 and not let the sun go down while we are still angry. In other words, God gave us this powerful emotion “anger” for a purpose. It is to expose injustice and sin and to do something about helping and being the voice to those who don’t have a voice or those who are oppressed by such misuse of wrath. It is not to be used to control others or to oppress someone, especially those who are weaker than them.
REFLECTION
· Share insights on how anger can be easily learned by anyone, especially children.