Proverbs 14:29 He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.
30 A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.
31 He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.
32 The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.
It is important to be able to control your emotions. A person that gets angry easily lacks understanding. The devil would like nothing more than to see a true child of God sin. Unjustified anger is sin.
Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
There is a time to be angry. God warns us not to sin while being angry. Uncontrolled anger will lead to unjust accusations and actions that are evil. God warns that the person who is hasty of spirit exalteth folly. Good people will not respect a person who cannot control his temper. Bullies like to hang together. Good people want to be with people who can control their emotions and can act with justice.
In verse 30 we see further instruction on this matter. The sound heart is the saved heart. We need a clean heart that is under God’s control. God is much wiser than any person. God tells us that our health will be affected by our emotions. A person that is soon angry will have problems. Unjustified stress will put a strain on the organs.
Envy is that longing for the joy and peace of the saved person, but not being able to achieve that. Cain was envious of his brother. God accepted Abel’s sacrifice. Abel did not need to fuss and fume because God did not accept him. Abel chose to obey God.
Cain chose to ignore God’s law and decided to make up his own religion. He was angry when God rejected his offering. He could not take that out on God so he went after his brother. God intervened and gave Cain opportunity to reconsider his plans. Cain refused to listen and murdered his brother. That did not fix anything. God confronted Cain about that and Cain became a marked man due to his rebellion. His life was miserable and he passed that misery on to his descendants.
In verse 31 we have further warning regarding our attitude to the poor. There are poor people who choose poverty. They are lazy and do not want to work. They want to smoke and drink and do other drugs. It does not help to give such people money or food. They need to get hungry and smarten up. They need to turn to God in repentance and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Enabling a person to continue in sin is not a wise plan. That is what our country has done for years. We even welcome illegals into this country and they are treated better than those who live here and pay taxes.
The person who knows the Lord will have a right attitude toward the poor. The poor need the Gospel. They need to be warned of the consequences of rejecting the Lord. Someone who is genuinely poor, may need a helping hand to get them through their current situation. God will give a true child of God discernment in knowing when to help and how to help.
In verse 32 we see that the wicked person is trapped in his sin. In his heart and soul, he knows he is not doing right. However, he pushes that fact aside by using different types of distractions to dull the convicting work of the Holy Spirit in his heart. The end of the wicked person is hell and then the lake of fire.
The righteous person is the saved person. It is not his righteousness that is spoken of here. No one is righteous on their own.
Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
The righteous person is the one who is trusting in the Biblical Jesus for salvation. That person has everlasting life. At death they are assured of a home in heaven. They are not living a lie. They are not trusting in some mythology. They are trusting in the true God and that is what makes all the difference.
It is important to know the Lord. This requires more than just head knowledge. This requires heart knowledge. That can only exist in the heart of those who are truly saved. Be sure your hope is in the true Lord Jesus Christ. Live for Him and enjoy His peace now and into eternity.
Pastor Bartel