Proverbs 14:29-32--The Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 14:29-32
English Standard Version
​29 Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,
    but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
30 A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh,
    but envy makes the bones rot.
31 Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,
    but he who is generous to the needy honors him.
32 The wicked is overthrown through his evildoing,
    but the righteous finds refuge in his death.

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The wise person is slow to anger.  If this sounds familiar to you, you are probably thinking of James 1:19 where James, the half-brother of Jesus, inspired by the Holy Spirit, writes, "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;" James has much to say about controlling our tongue and how we are to be controlled by the Spirit and not by the flesh (as does Paul and Peter and many of the other New Testament authors that you're probably familiar with).  Jesus also taught this during His years of earthly ministry that are recorded in the Gospels, but as we see here, this principle is not just in the New Testament but is something all the New Testament authors knew from studying the Old Testament, especially the Wisdom literature of Psalms and Proverbs.  The fool is hotheaded and makes excuses that people "made him angry."  Children may not be able to control their emotions well, but adults should be able to choose whether or not to become enraged by something.  God wants us to be master of our emotions and not let our emotions be our masters.

A tranquil heart that is not tossed to and fro at the whim of the person's emotions gives no place to being controlled by the desires and passions of the flesh that work contrary to the desires of the Spirit.  The person that is "self-controlled" (more correctly "Spirit-controlled") will have the blessings of God's covenant for His people, which includes long life in the here and now, and eternal life in the New Heaven and the New Earth that He is preparing for us.  The person who is controlled by their emotions is also a covetous, jealous, and usually greedy person.  They lack contentment and aren't happy if someone else is experiencing a blessing that they want or feel they deserve.  They spend all their time and energy comparing themselves to others and trying to take for themselves the things that God did not intend for them to have (at least, not at that time).  This causes them to experience many of the curses of the Covenant and the life that they have becomes devoid of meaning and purpose.  They experience all kinds of stress that leads to health issues, and they lack the kind of friendships that bring joy and fulfillment.

Any person who takes advantage of person they think to be "less fortunate" or less of a human being commits and offense against God the Creator who made that man or woman in His image.  Each human has intrinsic value by being and image-bearer and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, no matter what terrible place they may find themselves in.  This is doubly true for the command for the people of God to take care of each other.  When we are generous to each other, the LORD is honored, and He sees the sacrifices that we make to care for others that could never pay us back.  Look to Jesus and His apostles as examples of compassion and how they addressed both the spiritual and physical needs of the people around them, and without doing so at the exclusion of the other.  The book of Isaiah tells us that Messiah and His Kingdom would be recognized by Him giving sight to the blind, setting the captives free, and caring for the needs of the poor and the oppressed.  We should be benevolent people who are busy using the monetary and other resources we have to help take care of the spiritual needs of those that are captives of the kingdom of this world (the kingdom of darkness).  Only by the gospel can those captives be set free.  That's part of the mission of compassion that we have too.  We do not do one part at the exclusion of the other.  The gospel is about all of that and how one day God will make all things new and "very good" once again.

God allows the wicked people to get caught in their own schemes, lies and traps.  They suffer the consequences for the bad choices they make to put themselves above others and to commit evil against their neighbors (or even strangers).  The wicked man must live his life looking over his shoulder wondering who is out for vengeance and retribution, but the righteous man does not fear this and lives life in peace.  The righteous man also does not fear death because he knows that the LORD has accepted him because of the finished work of Jesus.  There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus and to live is Christ and to die is gain.  To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.