Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. —Proverbs 16:32
“The first man on the wall will receive the crown.” That’s the prize that motivated Roman soldiers through months or even years of a siege. The Corona Muralis (the walled crown) was one of the highest honors a Roman soldier could receive. In an age of walled cities, sieges would last for months or years. The impenetrable walls served as a source of pride and defense. When the Romans would lay siege to a city, every soldier knew that someday, after rigorous preparation, the day would come when it was time to fight through or fight over the mighty walls. The strongest of them would vie to be the first man on top of the walls to be forever memorialized for his strength and valor.
Centuries earlier, Solomon identified an even greater victory: being slow to anger. Being slow to anger is a greater victory than receiving the Corona Muralis. Solomon uses two phrases to define this trait: “slow to anger” and “rules his spirit.” Being slow to anger is having a long fuse. It is not easily having your feathers ruffled. It is not easily being disturbed and set off by one’s circumstances. This is the kind of person who is able to steadily navigate the waves and turmoils of life without being thrown off course or capsizing. The Hebrew word for anger carries the imagery of a nostril snort, like a raging bull. Solomon commends the person who has tamed the raging bull of their emotion and anger.
Additionally, this is someone who “rules his spirit.” People like this are not a victim of their desires, tossed to and fro by every whim that enters their heart or mind. They possess self control. They can say no to their desires. They can say no to their anger. They can say no to themselves. They have dominion over their own heart.
In Proverbs 16:32, Solomon uses battle language as a foil to this quality of self rule. He uses the word mighty (gibor) which is also used of the Nephilim, Nimrod, Goliath, and even the mighty men of David—his elite inner circle of warriors. Being slow to anger is better than being mighty, better than having conquered cities. It is more difficult and more valiant to control your spirit than it is to punch through the walls of Jericho, to scale the walls of Babylon, or to be the first Roman soldier on the enemy walls.
Friend, Jesus, the perfectly righteous One, died to pay the price for your sin. By trusting in Him, you are forgiven by His death in your place. You are declared righteous. This begins a process of transformation in which you become more and more righteous. Solomon is identifying for us one of the greatest challenges in our process of becoming righteous—our own anger. Nothing less than the power of the cross can conquer such a mighty opposition. But not even the raging bull of your anger is a match for Jesus’ power. Trust in Jesus, the gentle and lowly One to make you slow to anger. Look to Him to look more and more like the Savior of your soul.
For Reflection
Do I see my own anger as a personality quirk or as a sin to overcome? How can I take God’s side in the fight against my anger?
What circumstances lead me to anger? How can I better prepare myself to control my spirit in those situations?
When I see Jesus at work in my life, helping me to fight anger and control myself, how can I celebrate those victories?
Nate Miller is the Associate Preaching Pastor at Revive Church in Brooklyn Park, MN. Nate and his wife, Angela, live in Brooklyn Park and have three children.