Lesson 8 Proverbs

The Disciplined Spirit Eph. 4:26 – “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” One can be angry and not sin We are commanded to not let our anger bring us to sin. Our anger is to be short lived. We are not to remain angry. Must take steps to resolve. If we take the example literally, we have less than 12 hours to resolve. Otherwise, we increase the devil’s opportunities.

An Uncontrolled Temper Acts Foolishly Pr. 14:17 – “A man of quick temper acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated.” Pr. 14:29 – “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.” Pr. 29:20 – “Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” Ecc. 7:9 – “Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.” Anger can drive us to do things that we would not normally. Anger drives adrenaline. Adrenaline increases our heart rates. Anger is often closely related to an animal’s fight or flight instinct.

An Uncontrolled Temper Abounds in Transgression Pr. 29:22 – “A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.” James 1:20 – “…for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” Examples: Gen. 49:6 – Simeon and Levi Saul and David 1 Sam. 25 - David and Nabal Esther 1:12 - Ahasuerus and Vashti

An Uncontrolled Temper Stirs up Strife Pr. 10:12 – “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.” Pr. 15:18 – “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.” Doesn’t speak favorably. Looks to find allies Creates factions

An Uncontrolled Temper Is Outrageous Pr. 27:4 – “Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?” Is Related to Pride Pr. 21:24 – “’Scoffer’ is the name of the arrogant, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride.” Leaves and individual exposed to the devil Pr. 25:28 – “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.”

An Uncontrolled Temper Is a work of the flesh Eph. 4:31 – “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” Disqualifies a man from being an elder Tit. 1:7 – “For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick- tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,…” 1 Tim. 3:3 – “not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.”

Results of Uncontrolled Temper Pr: 9:7-8 – “Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you.” Pr. 22:24-25 – “Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.”

How Controlled Anger Acts Anger by itself is not sinful. Mark 3:5 – “And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.” Numbers 11:1 – “And the people complained in the hearing of the LORD about their misfortunes, and when the LORD heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.” Shows Understanding: Pr. 14:29 – “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.”

How Controlled Anger Acts Anger by itself is not sinful. Appeases Strife: Pr. 15:18 – “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.” Prevents further problems: Pr. 25:8 – “…do not hastily bring into court, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame?”

Value of a Controlled Temper Pr. 16:32 – “Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” 1 Sam. 18:7 – “And the women sang to one another as they celebrated, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.’”