28 In a multitude of people is a king’s glory,
But in the dearth of people is a prince’s ruin.
29 He who is slow to anger has great understanding,
But he who is [r]quick-tempered exalts folly.
30 A tranquil heart is life to the body,
But passion is rottenness to the bones.
31 He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker,
But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.
32 The wicked is thrust down by his [s]wrongdoing,
But the righteous has a refuge when he dies.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding,
But in the [t]hearts of fools it is made known.
34 Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a disgrace to any people.
35 The king’s favor is toward a servant who acts wisely,
But his anger is toward him who acts shamefully.
This passage shifts a little towards nations and peoples, and v. 34 especially caught my eye. I don’t know if one could have ever called America “righteous”, but there were a whole lot more God-fearing people in years gone by. And whether we rise or fall, that’s really up to God, but I want to zero in on the latter half as a warning to us all: “sin is a disgrace to any people.”
Maybe its just me, but it seems there have been a lot of folks being disgraced over the last few years as their deeds have found the light of day. Not that they hid them very well, but once the public and the media find something, look out! Too much have we exalted folly, and it shows. We lift up the villains in our movies saying, “look, they aren’t that bad!”
Too many are quick-tempered and let their passions run wild, and even if it seems they’ve “gotten away with it”, this passage is pretty clear. There is only one King whose favor matters, and those who act shamefully will sadly not escape the wrath of God.
We should instead be slow to anger, with tranquil hearts. Not easily offended as so many in our society, but effectively un-offendable. It isn’t us who are being despised and rejected, it is God himself. He can handle it, so if we place our trust in Him, we should much more, since the vitriol really isn’t directed at us.
As we saw earlier in the chapter, we should again be gracious to the needy (and afflicted). Let God light your path, and deviate not, there are many who need His light to shine through you in this dark world. Be His hands and feet to those you meet every day, and set aside the attitudes that run rampant in our culture. As Paul wrote, do not be conformed, but be transformed, and help others find the same.