Proverbs 29:22 Commentary and Bible Study

Solomon returns now to the matter of how the believer is to cope with a fallen world in which he will inevitably encounter all kinds of evil and to which he must learn to respond in a sanctified way. How should we interact with the world and what are the dangers that we need to be aware of, for the world is undoubtedly a realm of peril to us with many snares which press close upon us.First, he identifies a behaviour in man that produces much evil. There is such a thing as righteous anger, a just and holy response to sin. This type of anger is seen in the Lord in all its perfection, and results in the punishment and removal of wickedness. But anger in fallen human beings is not righteous anger, but rather, the opposite. It does not destroy evil but produces evil and vast quantities of it. Human anger is not linked to justice but to selfishness. It is the forceful promotion of self at the expense of every other entity. Having magnified self to a ridiculous degree, it diminishes the interests of others, and looks at them as if they were nothing. This enlarged view of the importance of self is used to justify all kinds of outrageous behaviour, and there is no telling where anger will lead next. It undermines what little self-control human beings have, and it feeds on itself like a fire which consumes all fuel thrown on it. It provides a phoney substitute for the sort of conviction that comes from integrity, one that it based on passion not on truth. It is a kind of madness, for under its influence men can do what they would never do in a more sober state of mind. The believer is going to face this evil and must learn to cope with it. If men are wise, they will organise society to take account of it. They will not treat man as if he is essentially good, and needs no powerful restraints to hold him back. They will set strong sanctions in place, and balances that do not give unlimited power to individuals. The wise will learn to see through anger and not be convinced by its self-justifying intensity. The first step is to recognise human anger for what it is – something which is often generated out of a fallen heart. Righteous anger is rare on earth, because it is mostly found among God’s people, his little flock, and even there it is mixed with impurity. Righteous anger is in control of itself, but unrighteous anger is wild, excessive, and vengeful. The believer must learn not to be intimidated by sinful human anger, because God has limited its power so that it does only what he allows. Even Satan could not hurt Job (and he was certainly driven by hatred, jealousy, and anger) any more than God specifically permitted. Much sinful anger is directed at God and would hurt him if that were possible, but since Christ is risen he is out of reach of man who has already done his worst. Unbewill blievers therefore often turn their anger on God’s people as a second best (Revelation 12:13), because they know that God’s children belong to him and are dear to him. But God will bring all unrighteous human anger to an end, and his anger when it comes will eclipse human anger because of its righteousness and its severity. Men will put away their unrighteous anger and condemn themselves for ever daring to express it in the presence of God’s righteous anger which destroys all justification for their unrighteous anger and puts them to shame..