“A man of great wrath will suffer punishment, for if you rescue him, you will have to do it again” (Proverbs 19:19).
Human wrath is the raw material of murder (Mat. 5:21-22). Left uncontrolled, “the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:20). Anger itself is not innately sinful; the divine prescription is: Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:26-27).
Because it is a sinful habit, wrath is a horrific addiction. It leaves behind a swath of wreckage in its destructive path. A man with a hothead and a short fuse will live a life needing perpetual damage control and cleanup.
Solomon’s counsel is plain: 1) Don’t be this person (Prov. 14:29, 16:32, 29:22) and 2) Don’t befriend this person, “lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul” (Prov. 22:24-25).
