Proverbs 15:18
A wrathful man stirs up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeases strife.
Within churches and communities, there are some who are peacemakers, and there are others who are the peace breakers. Those characterized by peace breaking are toxic to the community, and usually they are identified by the dead bodies of broken relationships in their wake. Not all peace breakers are given to anger, but according to this text, the angry person will always tend to stir up strife. This angry man habitually responds to problems in anger, and he relies on anger to get things done. The home, the church, or the business are perceptibly more peaceful with his absence. With every conflict going on, it seems this man is to be found in the middle of it. Given that such men are so dangerous to the fellowship of the local church, the Apostle Paul instructs us to reject him after just one or two admonitions (Tit. 3:10).
Now the person who contributes well to the assembly is the subject of the second half of the verse. He is the consummate peacemaker. Instead of generating and perpetuating conflicts, he works to resolve them. He is not afraid to address multitudinous conflicts and disagreeable conversations, saving the church from a hundred potential splits. Here the peacemaker is defined as one who is “slow to anger.” He is patient, self-controlled, and careful in his words. When the temptation to “fight” or “flight” arises, he does not act in sinful anger and fear. His response is measured and motivated by passionate love for God and a trembling fear of God. Here is the man filled with the Holy Spirit of peace, controlled by the spirit of love, power, and a sound mind.
Proverbs 15:19
The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain.
Basic to the discipleship of young men within the Christian family and among new believers is this matter of work. Slothfulness is a sin which gives birth to a host of other sins. To resist work is to resist God’s will for our life. To refuse to serve Christ is not to love Him. Such monumental sins in a young man’s life can be overcome by the redemptive work of Christ. By faith, the young man can be released from this bondage of sluggardliness.
When the sin of slothfulness has free rein in a young man’s life, he comes to be characterized by it. And what a curse upon the family, where the husband and father is described by this state! The sin is so severe, the Apostle Paul counts the man an unbeliever who does not work to provide for His own (1 Tim. 5:8, 2 Thess. 3:7-10).
Once a man is overcome by the spirit of slothfulness, work becomes uncomfortable, even intolerable to him. Every time he addresses himself to the slightest task, it is like crawling through a hedge of thorny bushes. There is a much discomfort in crawling through multiple layers of barbed wire fencing. Nobody would look forward to such an activity. This is how the slothful man views things like making his bed, weeding the garden, changing the oil in the car, or cutting up firewood. His attitude towards work is so bad, every effort required of him becomes a torturous ordeal. Here we see the terrible, evil nature of this spirit of slothfulness.
The slothful man cannot be counted among the righteous, because no true man of faith is under the bondage of such sins. In contrast to the slothful man whose every step is an intolerable drag, the way of the righteous man is made plain. This is not to say that he does not face his own thorny trials, inconveniences, and obstacles in life. But they are manageable. With each step he takes in the breathtaking challenges of his life, he finds the grace to make it through. Others watch in amazement as they see his family willingly adopt a special needs child with multiple medical problems. The family didn’t know how they would make it, but afterwards they said with a smile, “God’s grace was sufficient for us, and you know, it really wasn’t all that bad! In fact, the whole experience was a wonderful blessing for our family!” The way of the righteous is made plain. It is the path of faith in God, always “looking to Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith.”
Proverbs 15:20
A wise son makes a glad father: but a foolish man despises his mother.
A wise son is one who honors his mother. There is probably nothing more distressing to a godly father than to see his sixteen year old son despising his mother with sarcastic remarks and disrespectful facial expressions. What son would wish to disappoint his father and despise his mother? Only an arrogant fool would destroy the closest and most important relationships in his life. Yet the temptations towards such foolishness work strongly in the hearts of young men today. May God deliver us from such ungrateful and wicked behavior through the faithful preaching of the Gospel, the powerful working of the blood of Christ, and real repentance in the lives of young men and women everywhere!
When a father invests thousands of hours of teaching and training into his son over a period of eighteen to twenty years, how might that son reward his father? What could he give his father as a welcome blessing for such a sacrifice? There is only one thing that any godly father would desire from his son, and that is wisdom. The blessings of wealth, fame, worldly success, and academic prowess all pale in comparison to the blessing of a wise son who fears God and seeks the priorities of His Kingdom over all things.
1. Are there peacemakers or peace breakers in our family? How would others characterize us?
2. What is your perspective of work? Do you find even minor tasks a heavy burden? Or do you find work an enjoyable and natural part of life?
3. How do our children treat their mother? Does it become more difficult to honor your mother as you move into your teenage years?