Jesus Was Slow to Anger—Are You? (Proverbs 14:29)
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Proverbs 14:29
Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,
but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
The contents of this verse hit home today for many reasons. One is that I lost my temper literally yesterday. The other is that the attribute spoken of in Proverbs 14:29 is very near and dear to my heart. What is that attribute? Being slow to anger.
Why is it near and dear to my heart?
Because we owe our salvation to the very attribute of being slow to anger. If our God was not slow to anger, we’d all be burning in a fiery pit. Yet He’s been gracious to us by extending His just wrath on His Son Jesus, in whom we have redemption and forgiveness.
I’m so thankful for that and, despite my failings, I very earnestly want to resemble that aspect of God’s character in my own. Numerous times in Scripture, when God speaks and describes Himself, He pairs His steadfast love with the fact that He’s also slow to anger. We emphasize the first attribute a lot in our Christian culture but not the second.
But we have every reason to emphasize it more. It’s a mark of a godly person – and one of the best qualities you could hope for in a spouse or a friend. It’s incredibly valuable.
Think of it this way: some people are like thermometers. They instantly reflect the temperature of whatever’s around them. If things get heated, they get heated. But others are like thermostats. They set the temperature. They stay steady – even when the room gets tense.
“Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding”. There is great wisdom in being able to control your response.
You can’t control circumstances, but you can control your response.
Like I said earlier, I’ll be the first to say my life does not always look like that. Sometimes I’m more like the second character in today’s verse, the one “who has a hasty temper” and “exalts folly”.
But here's what gives me great hope: Jesus didn’t just come to save us from sin – He came to shape us into people who reflect His heart. And His heart? It’s slow to anger. It’s gentle and lowly. It doesn’t explode. It doesn’t erupt. It’s patient, measured, and wise.
And He proved it at the cross. When the full weight of our sin – our short tempers, our harsh words, our foolish reactions – was laid on Him, Jesus didn’t lash out. He absorbed it. He bore it. He took the wrath so we could receive the patience of God.
So when you feel yourself about to lose it – when someone cuts you off, says something sharp, or the stress piles on – remember the One who didn’t. Look at Jesus, hanging there in your place.
He’s not just your example. He’s your substitute. And because of Him, you can change.
With that, ask yourself this morning:
Am I a thermometer reacting, or a thermostat setting the tone?
Jesus set the tone. That’s our invitation today. To look more like Jesus, abounding in steadfast love and being slow to anger, even in the moments that test us.
Let’s take a moment and pray together…
