“Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city."
Proverbs 16:32
I was once told that there is a spring in Iceland that is frequently visited by tourist because it has some peculiar characteristics about it. One of its peculiarities is that nothing will grow around it. There is a measurable distance marked off before any vegetation takes root. However, that is not the most significant aspect of this spring. What draws tourists is the volcanic temperament of the spring. Now, you can walk up to the spring and peer down into its deep crater. But you can also rouse it to action by tossing a stone into it. A few moments later a gurgling sound will be heard. Then a column of dirty, boiling water will come shooting up carrying with it mud, sticks and stones.
Typically springs do not react like they are connected to a hairpin trigger. If you toss a stone in, usually the waters will rippled and the stone will be swallowed up. The overall peace is not easily disturbed.
Interestingly enough, we find that a lot of people resemble that tempestuous little geyser. There are people in the world who have no real rule over their passions and they are easily provoked by the slightest tease or nuisance. At one moment they are calm. You can walk up to them and talk with them. You can enjoy their company and converse with them about many different things. But then, with the slightest provocation—be it an unkind word or a crack in the sidewalk that trips them up, they can erupt with a Jeckle & Hyde like transformation, and they can boiling over with anger.
Of course, it varies in degree from person to person. Some are like geysers that rush forth with a great display of rage. And there are others do not break forth quite so violently. But while they may not make an external show of their anger, inwardly they are steaming with rage. Their soul simmers with resentment.
It is that kind of person that is being addressed in our passage this morning. Our passage speaks to the one who is prone to fits of passion and has a problem with anger. And it calls us to emulate the springs that manifest poise in the midst of provocation. When you read this passage it is easy to see that it highlights the greatness of this poise.
I. The greatness of it
Our passage says that the one who is slow to anger “is better (or greater) than the mighty.” The one who rules his spirit is superior to the one who takes a city. Here you have a comparison that ranks a man who demonstrates personal composure over that of a warrior or someone who can accomplish tremendous physical feats.
Think how we much honor men of strength and warriors. This week I was reminded of the first group of Army Rangers. They were a hand full of soldiers who were trained to be an elite military task force.
The group was formed in the Second World War, and their first mission was to save over 100 prisoners of war who were being kept in a Japanese prison camp. The feat was no small task. The prison camp was located on a plain and it was heavily manned; hundreds of Japanese soldiers were there. The Rangers plotted to take the camp at night so that they had the element of surprise when they attacked. To get into position though, they had to crawl on their bellies for over 200 yards during across that plain the light hours of the day. They had to move right up to the camp’s exterior without any cover of darkness. Obviously, they would be in complete view of the guards at the tower. After darkness fell, they had to breach the walls, charge right into the enemy’s ranks where they were outmaned, protect the area where the prisoners were being kept, and then evacuate the prisoners—who by the way were so badly malnourished and suffering from malaria that most could barely walk, if the even could manage to get to their feet.
You know what? The operation was executed flawlessly. The mission went over with flying colors. They took the camp and rescued the prisoners virtually no losses. These men were then given some of the best military honors for that accomplishment. And they continue to be exalted as great men as people read and recount their story down through the ages. And they should be honored! What they did was amazing! These men excel what a man is and is called to be.
But no matter who great those soldiers may be, the Bible says that a man who rules his spirit is greater. A person who demonstrates discipline over his own soul stands above them in the eyes of God.
Now I know that this kind of person isn’t recognized in our society as someone who is great or superior in any way. Someone who is calm and demonstrates a spirit of composure is typically thought of as a weakling. If someone is picking on you and you don’t respond, what are they going to say? They are not going to think you are great in any way. (Well, they may think you are great in one way. They will think that you are a great, big sissy!)
Most people think greatness is associated with brute force. Think about the rapper guys, or the gangster types. These guys are regarded as so cool, aren’t they? We love their bad attitudes. They wear their tight fitting tank tops to show off their muscles. They wear their hats sideways to give the impression, “Don’t mess with me!” Then they have their pants hanging down (to the point where you wonder why they even bother putting them on!) just to show that they defy all authorities. And if someone picks on them, you better watch out. They are going to get all up in your face. If someone makes a snide remark, they immediately jump up. They get all roused. You talk about their mama, they are going to want to fight. We think those guys are so bad.
However, that is not true greatness. They may put on a great display of strength. They might actually be able to pummel someone and beat them to a pulp. But the Bible says that is not greatness. In all reality, that is a show of weakness. He might be able to overpower his neighbor, but the truth is he has no power over himself.
True greatness is found in self governance. It is found in composure and being able to bridle one’s rage when someone pricks you with a goad. Really, that is why the poised person is so great. It is because that kind of composure is so hard. Demonstrating this kind of control over yourself presents a challenge unlike any other, virtually insurmountable.
II. The challenge of it
This passage shows that too. It gives a good example of just how challenging it is. It says a man who governs himself is greater than someone “who takes a city.”
Solomon posits one of the hardest feats that could possibly be imagine at his time. Conquering a heavily fortified city was no small task back then. Today it is no big deal. You just drop a bunch of bombs on it and you are done. But back then they didn’t have that kind of ammunition.
My daughter and I have been reading about the middle ages for her history class. One of the things we talked about was how an army would lay siege to a castle (which would be a lot like an ancient fortified city, like Jericho). Most likely the city or castle would be it is built on a mountain so there was a steep embankment that would make it hard for an army to press against. And then there would be the high and thick walls. Some walls could be 15 feet thick. In Solomon’s time, the walls were doubled. They were so big that people could actually live in them. You may remember the story of Jericho where Rahab had her apartment there.
Imagine trying to lay siege to a city like that! Penetrating that kind of fortress would take an amazing amount of skill, not to mention time.
But no matter how hard that might be to conquer a city like that, it is nothing in comparison to gaining victory over your own passions. I like what Charles Bridges says regarding this. He says, “The taking of a city is child’s play compared to this wrestling with flesh and blood.” You might even consider our righteous anger. We know that there is righteous anger, but how often is that righteous anger all that righteous? Even when we are stirred up for just causes, we can’t say that our anger is pure and vented in a holy way. Our emotions typically get the best of us.
A victory over city is child’s play compared to the victory over our hearts. Think about it. The conflict with a city would last typically a few days or weeks. At the most it would be a few years—if it was heavily fortified. But the conflict we have with our own hearts lasts a lifetime. The internal battle we wage in order to bring our bodies into subjection to the Lord will only be halted at death. In a siege of a city, the soldiers will get wearied, for sure. But at some point they get to rest. They have to sleep, and at some point one side will be defeated.
We don’t get that privilege when it comes to battling our sinful inclinations. A violent temper is something that doesn’t subside with time. It continues to pop up over and over, and the hostility usually becomes more and more dangerous with the passing of time. And bitterness isn’t something that typically goes away with a little sleep. We think it does. The counsel we usually give ourselves or someone else is “Just sleep on it. All will be better in the morning.”
I think that is part of the reason why Jesus said we must “not let the sun go down on our anger” and that we are to “settle matters quickly” with our neighbors. Jesus knows that the passing of time only allows the hatred to take a deeper root. The rage might not be as violent, but the heat has not been turned down. The hostility still lingers. And the more time that elapses, the more time it has to harden and breed other sins. We can begin to avoid the people who make us angry or make snide comments about them here and there. Certainly, the revulsion we harbor prevents from praying for them and asking God to care for them. That’s the last thing we want is for God to be on their side!
Jesus knows that a breech in a relationship is best repaired when it is still in its infancy. But that is just the problem, though. It is not that easy. That’s when we are the most furious, and it is like trying to tame a wild lioness that has been robbed of its cubs.
I could go on and talk more about how challenging it is to demonstrate poise and properly govern our spirits. I haven’t mentioned how anger has so much to do with our pride, and you all know how you shouldn’t mess with #1.
I think I have labored that point enough though. I think we all know something of how challenging it is to keep our composure and rule our spirits. We all know that it is impossible, given our sinful propensity. What is important is that we understand that through Christ, even the most undisciplined spirit, can (for the lack of a better word) become tempered.
III. The acquisition of it
We need to realize that the only way we can acquire this kind of composure is through Jesus Christ. He came to earth for this very reason! He became man so that he might fulfill this verse for us and for our salvation. That he might deliver us from our angry spirits and reign in our uncontrollable inclinations.
Jesus was amazing because of his self control. If there ever was a man who had the right to fly off the handle, it would have been Jesus. People provoked him to no end. I mean the religious teachers purposely plotted ways to test him and get him to err. But never once did he give in to their silly tricks. And when he did become angry—which he wasn’t afraid to do!—his anger was never mixed with even an ounce of unholy hatred.
One of the things that the Westminster Confession brings out in the section on God is that God is without passion. That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have any emotions. We know that we can grieve the Holy Spirit and that God can become angry. What it means is that God doesn’t demonstrate his emotions like sinful man. God is not easily provoked. He is patient and longsuffering. When it comes time for our confession of sin I often quote the passages of scripture that say that the Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. And just so you know, that refrain is like a chorus that is repeated many, many times throughout Scripture.
And when Jesus became man, he came so that he might be the mightiest man on earth. Here you have a man who had such composure that he was willing to suffer, and not say a word against it. He was shamefully treated and yet he turned his cheek. He was unjustly accused, yet he said not a word. He was undeservedly sentenced to death, yet he willingly put his flesh upon the cross.
This he did so that we might receive pardon and that the dominion of sin might be broken within us. But he not only came to earth to break the dominion of sin, Jesus now at God’s right hand has poured out the Spirit into our hearts so that the power of sin might be diminished more and more. Paul speaks to this in the first chapter of 2 Timothy. Paul says that God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of self control. And we all know that one of the virtues associated with the fruit of the Spirit is “self control.”
In other words, what is impossible with men, is possible with God. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. So that no matter how unruly our passions may be, and though we have no possible way of changing ourselves, we can have hope that we can change. What does the Scripture say? It says that we are “more than conquers through him who loved us and gave his life for us.” The strong city of sin can be taken because Jesus is the ultimate warrior.
Those of you who may think there is no hope, all you need to do is rely upon Christ. If you look to him and live in constant dependence upon him, you can rest assured that he will deliver you.
Knowing the greatness of this virtue and that Christ will establish it in us, you might be wondering what steps we might be able to take to pursue it.
IV. The pursuit of it
If you ask this question, you are well on your way. Certainly we recognize that we can do nothing to attain it by our own hands, but we also recognize that Christ uses means and calls us to work out our salvation. So what things can we keep in mind in order to help us keep from being so easily provoked? A puritan minister by the name of Richard Baxter was a great counselor. He wrote a book called, “A Christian Directory.” In that book outlines a number of directives for dealing with what he calls ‘sinful wrath.’ I would like to give you a couple of those so that we might cultivate the composure that we should.
The first thing I would recommend is that you keep near the Lord. The people who are given to fits of passion are typically the people who have very little communion with Christ on a regular basis. They are not given to peace because they hardly have any fellowship with the God of peace. The best remedy is to take time to be still and know that He is God. When you are in the habit of drawing near to God, you will find that you will act more like God. And you will be more in the habit of praying for those things that make you mad. Moreover, you will also learn that the things that anger you are typically trivial matters or matters that God has put there for your overall improvement. Time with God helps to put things in perspective. I truly believe that the best way to extinguish the heat of hatred is by drinking time with the Lord, either by being in prayer or by being in his Word.
Along with being near the Lord, try, as much as you can, to keep away from tumultuous company. This is especially true for our young people. We spoke earlier of the gangster like guys who like to show how bad they are. Many of our young people like to emulate it. But you would do well to flee from them and any other person who is given over to fits of passion.
If you are white water rafting you know that your blood pressure is going rise while you go through the tumultuous waters. The chaos around you will cause you to be a little chaotic yourself. How much different will it be if you are always around people who are given to disorderly conduct?
Another important thing is to keep silent. When you are mad, your mind typically is not ready to demonstrate the best rational skills. So it is best to put a lock on your lips. When you hit your thumb with a hammer, what do you do? I would suppose that if it were recorded, we would have to bleep out certain words on the playback. That is a good instance of keeping silent. Try to suppress your screams. The same goes for times when someone taunts you or picks on you. The best thing to do in that situation is to keep silent.
Now I know that this is contrary to what pop psychology says. The “experts” say that you should not suppress it because if you keep it bottled up you will only find greater troubles down the road. So they tell you to grab your pillow and scream into it or direct your anger elsewhere. However, this is not healthy. Rage only gives way to rage. We are commanded to discipline ourselves for godliness. We are to exercise self control. The proper way to deal with anger is to keep quiet and bring it to the Lord. Allow him to deal with it and let not those around you spy a drop of venom drip from your person.
We could cite many other helpful directions to help cultivate the strength of character that this verse commends. Let me end with this one though: keep on confessing your sins
You are going to fail. You are going to become irritated. You are going to yell. You are going to roll your eyes and sigh. You are going to give that gesture when that person cuts in front of you on the highway. After you do though, remember to confess your sin. There is nothing more humiliating than having to go to someone and say, “I’m sorry for acting like a fool there. I shouldn’t have left the room or slammed the door like that.”
There are many benefits to this. Asking for their forgiveness though is good simply for the fact that by it you have to face up to you sin and the people who were affected by it. Usually people will walk away from ground zero and try to forget about it. But when you confess your sins to those you affected and to the Lord you are forced to look at how ugly it is. And when you see it for what it is, you will begin to dislike it more and more. And as a result, you begin to avoid it more and more.
Conclusion:
Certainly, we could say a lot more about this subject. There were many more things that I wanted to say, but I don’t know that I can. What is perhaps needed is just the reminder that the volcanic spirit is something that the Lord does not delight in. It doesn’t matter if you are the kind of person who erupts violently and then is done, or the kind that lets the lava burn long and hot below the surface, we must remember that all such hatred is of the devil. We must make it our aim to put off such characteristics and put on a spirit of tranquility.
When you buy a box of matches, sometimes you will get one that will not light. No matter how many times you strike it, it simply will not ignite. That should be the type of character for which we aim. God commends the one who will not let the fires of passion become ignited easily. In God’s eyes the greatest of men is the calmest of men. So let us lay siege to our hearts and beg Christ to storm the citadels of anger within us that our hearts might be subdued by his grace.
