Proverbs 29:22
An Angry Man
Solomon has much to say about anger and angry men. None of it is very flattering.
1. An angry man
a. Everybody gets angry… every day something arises that gets us angry.
b. But most believers get angry, confess it, and forsake it and get back into fellowship with God.
c. However, the angry man refers to a person who is characterized by anger. His life is controlled by anger—not the Holy Spirit.
d. He is simply an angry person. Everything seems to get him angry—from the tiny and insignificant to the real problems and everything in between.
2. Prov. 25:28 – “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.”
a. This man has no control over his spirit… he cannot rule his own spirit. His spirit rules him.
b. Spirit: Inner disposition; impulse; seat of emotions; temper.
c. He has no self-control. His inner impulses dominate in his life. He is a slave to sin… a slave to his impulses.
d. This is the kind of person Solomon is describing.
e. He is a pitiful man indeed. He is like a city whose walls are all broken down.
• Through a lack of taking care of his walls, they all fell down.
• That leaves the city open to attack from any direction.
• So too is the angry man who has no control over his spirit… the spirit of anger.
• He is really in a dangerous position – vulnerable to all kinds of attacks… and defenseless against them.
3. Stirs up strife
a. There are consequences to walking in the flesh instead of walking in the Spirit.
b. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace… and temperance or self-control.
c. The fruit of the flesh includes such things as: Hatred, variance (contention), emulations (jealous anger), wrath, and strife.
d. Our proverb tells us that the person whose life is characterized by anger will also be characterized by STRIFE.
e. Anger stirs up strife.
f. When a person is angry, he says angry things to others and that causes others to get angry in return. It stirs up strife.
g. Other proverbs teach the same truth.
• Prov. 15:18 – A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.
» The wrathful man stirs up strife wherever he goes.
» Strife seems to follow him. And he probably assumes that it is everyone else’s fault… but it isn’t.
» He simply cannot escape the consequences of his anger and wrath.
» But the good news is that strife can also be appeased – diminished by being SLOW to anger.
» This is what James tells us to do—to BE.
» Jas. 1:19 – “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.”
» There are evil consequences to being hasty of anger; there are good consequences to those who are slow to anger. Take your pick!
• Prov. 26:21 – As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.
» Not only does an angry man stir up strife (get it started). He also keeps it going!
» His lack of self-control and his angry spirit add fuel to the fire once the strife begins.
» As long as he remains in the mix, fuel will continually be added… more coal… more wood tossed in.
» Thus, to end the strife there are two alternatives:
a. The angry man can repent.
b. The angry man is cast out. Get rid of him! Let him know that he is no longer welcome.
1. The furious man (another way of describing the angry man) abounds in transgression.
a. He not only stirs up strife; he stirs up sin.
b. He creates an atmosphere for cursing and saying unkind and unthoughtful things to others.
c. He creates an atmosphere for more hostility, breaking things, fighting, divorce, division.
d. Common sense and the ability to foresee the consequences of his words and action are clouded by his anger.
2. Lev. 24:10-11 – Anger can result in speaking words of blasphemy.
a. The son of a Jewish woman who had an Egyptian father was in a heated argument with another Jew.
b. In the heat of the argument, the man blasphemed the name of the Lord.
c. Vs. 12-14 – God’s mind on the matter: he was to be stoned to death.
d. The fact that he spoke in anger and without thinking did not excuse his actions.
e. He was guilty… and it was too late to take it back.
3. Matt. 5:21-22 – Jesus taught that anger was the same sin as murder.
a. Murder arises out of anger.
b. Anger is tolerated and allowed to fester in the heart.
c. Thus, it increases with intensity and gets out of control.
d. That uncontrolled passion can lead to murder—and has countless times throughout history.
e. Matt. 15:19 – Murder arises out of the heart… a heart full of uncontrolled passion… anger… jealousy… resentment.
f. Anger can boil up inside only to a point. Then it boils over into overt action… and in this case, murder.
g. If we don’t deal with sins of the heart (like anger) at its initial stages, it may get to a place where it becomes out of control… where we no longer have the capacity to restrain it.
h. That doesn’t mean we are not responsible for our actions—we are. We should have stopped it when it first began to arise.
i. Jesus also said that lust, if allowed to fester in the heart can easily boil over into adultery.
j. Thus, we should be concerned about what we allow in our hearts.
4. Prov. 14:17 – He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated. (Cf. vs.29)
a. Here Solomon describes the man (or woman or child!) who is soon angry…
b. He is short tempered… hot headed… flies off the handle… short fused… easily irritated…
c. The man who has no control over his temper is continually doing and saying foolish things that he regrets later.
d. But later is usually too late.
• You cannot un-ring the bell. Often the immediate damage done through an outburst of anger is irreversible…
• The cruel words have already pierced someone’s heart.
• The door you punched is still broken.
• And the little eyes and ears who heard it all and observed it all may never forget.
e. Prov. 14:29 – His words and deeds “exalt folly.”
• He says and does hurtful and foolish things.
• And in doing so, he is exalting folly – behaving as if he thought it were a good thing.
• The man who is quick tempered is himself a FOOL.
5. The anger of the furious man leads to all kinds of sinful and foolish words and deeds.
a. This man ruins his relationship to his friends, his marriage, his career.
b. Uncontrolled anger affects every relationship.
c. It makes many ripples that have long lasting and far reaching effects.
6. Prov. 22:24 – “Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: 25Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.”
a. For the observers and victims of the angry man, Solomon has some advice: don’t make friends with such people!
b. Separate from them. Stay away.
c. If you become close friends with them – sooner or later you will become the object of his wrath and venom. You will become yet another victim.