29 A man who hardens his neck after much reproof
Will suddenly be broken [a]beyond remedy.
2 When the righteous [b]increase, the people rejoice,
But when a wicked man rules, people groan.
3 A man who loves wisdom makes his father glad,
But he who keeps company with harlots wastes his wealth.
4 The king gives stability to the land by justice,
But a man who takes bribes overthrows it.
5 A man who flatters his neighbor
Is spreading a net for his steps.
6 By transgression an evil man is ensnared,
But the righteous sings and rejoices.
7 The righteous [c]is concerned for the rights of the poor,
The wicked does not understand such [d]concern.
8 Scorners set a city aflame,
But wise men turn away anger.
9 When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man,
[e]The foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest.
We’ve seen various iterations on verse 2 over the last few chapters. The first part makes sense, everyone loves justice, or at least would claim to. And those who don’t will just “join the choir” when that’s the winning side. When a wicked person is in charge, people groan. Okay, that likely makes sense also, but can we dig into that a bit more?
Yes, we sure can, and Solomon will indulge us in our quest. We don’t have to look far, as even v. 1 shows the example of a stiff-necked ruler. The pharaoh of Moses’ time was a prime example. Though he was doing wrong, he would not admit it, and we might excuse him, for his power was absolute in Egypt. But how about in a democracy, where there ought to be debate of ideas, and correction when things go south?
Yeah, people are going to groan when they can see the ship sinking, and there’s no stopping it. So don’t be that person, don’t be stiff necked, don’t be tangled up by sin (v. 6) with no hope of escape. Pull up on the reins long before you get that far. Take some cues from vv. 8-9 instead, “Scorners set a city aflame…” Huh, where have we seen that in recent memory?
The antidote? “Wise men turn away anger.” Much like we were taught as kids when it came to drugs, “Just say no!”, so should we be when we feel our temperature rising. Harsh words do not get the response we want anyway, as “The foolish man either rages or laughs…” There isn’t going to be a resolution, even more so if we are the fool indulging our flesh.
It’s a tall order, one you likely need God’s help to accomplish–I know I sure do. Just this morning, I got an email that had me feeling frustrated. Instead, I had to slow down, let God direct me, and hope for something better. Maybe I won’t get what I wanted, but at least I didn’t lose my cool, thanks to these words, and God’s nudging. Let Him be your cool, and turn away anger in your relationships too.