PROVERBS 30
32 If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,
or if you have been devising evil,
put your hand on your mouth.
33 For pressing milk produces curds,
pressing the nose produces blood,
and pressing anger produces strife. – Proverbs 30:32-33
PROVERBS 30 PERSISTENT ANGER LEADS TO DISCORD
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When one cannot process the reasons for their anger
It will continue to persist and have dysregulated retorts
It may manifest as little annoyances or irritations
And may grow into hidden implosions or immense explosions
The more anger is covertly hidden, the more destructive it is
Its roots get deeper into the heart and destroy the spirit
Do not be foolish to allow the evil devises crafted by the world
Confront your anger by sitting still and meditating on God’s word.
This chapter of Proverbs written by Agur is a reminder of the importance of the word of God as he said in Proverbs 30:5-6 “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.6 Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.” It is reiterated in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 when Paul says “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Agur warns us to guard our mouths so that no evil will come out of it or no lies that are propagated to distort the word of God. He cautions us to stop devising evil against others and to watch that what we sow, we will also reap.
Agur warns us also about the persistence of anger leading to discord, disunity and eventually breaking down of relationships. He cited very practical ways how consequences follow anything we sow in verse 33. He shows us the inevitability of cause-and-effect relationship between stirring up anger and producing conflict. Barnes’ comment on this verse as “Churning … wringing … forcing – In the Hebrew text it is one and the same word. “The pressure of milk produces curds, the pressure of the nose produces blood, the pressure of wrath (i. e., brooding over and, as it were, condensing it) produces strife.” This is probably why we are told in Proverbs 15:1 that a soft answer turns away wrath while a harsh word stirs up anger. If one continues to use a lot of harsh words, there is surely an expectation of division, disunity and conflict which leads to more heated arguments and broken relationships.
REFLECTION
· How can we stop anger at its core? Why is it important to do this?
