We Should Not Become This Kind of Person.

[Proverbs 19:19, 25, 28, 29]

Dear friends, what kind of person do you want to become? Personally, I believe that the question "What should I do?" is less important than "What kind of person should I be?" That’s why, when we look at the "Membership" section of our church's fellowship, we see the following written in the spiritual attitudes section: “The kind of person you are is far more important than the kind of work you do." Here, we must clearly establish our priorities in our spiritual life. The priority is, “What kind of person should I be before God?” In other words, our priority should be being rather than doing. This is because actions must come from being, not the other way around. The transformation of our character to become like Jesus should lead to actions that follow His example.

What kind of person should we become? I would like to share with you a poem written by Sister Yoo Hye-in, titled "May I Become This Kind of Person in the New Year." The reason I want to share this poem is that as we read it, we can reflect on the kind of person we want to be. The poem says:

"Make me a praying person, who in the face of difficulty, does not despair but moves forward with trust and courage. Make me a person of hope, whose heart is as bright and full as the full moon in January, living each day with a renewed heart, and bright and clear. Make me a person of love, who approaches everyone as a friend with a calm demeanor, and leads with action rather than words, a person whose truth is burning. Make me a person of peace, who values the peace of the heart, the fruit of long waiting and pain, and who practices reconciliation and forgiveness first. Make me a person of joy, whose gratitude for the ordinary things of each day becomes a prayer, and who finds meaning in small things, never knowing boredom.” (Internet)

Dear friends, shouldn’t we all strive to be a praying person and a person of love? As Sister Yoo Hye-in says, if we all become people of hope, people of peace, and people of joy, won’t we fulfill our role as the light and salt of the world? The Bible teaches us what kind of person we should become. For example, when we meditate on Proverbs during our weekly Wednesday prayer meetings, the Bible teaches that we should be wise people. The Bible, in the book of Proverbs, teaches us to be wise with God’s wisdom, to fear God, and to obey His commandments. At the same time, the Bible also teaches us what kind of person we should not become. For instance, Proverbs warns us not to become foolish people.

In today’s passage, Proverbs 19:19, 25, 28-29, we find three kinds of people. As I think about these three types of people, I realized that I should not become like them. So, based on today’s passage, under the title “We Should Not Become This Kind of Person,” I want to reflect on these three kinds of people and receive the lessons that God has for us.

First, we should not become people who are quick to anger.

Let's look at Proverbs 19:19 in today's passage: "A hot-tempered man will pay the penalty; if you rescue him, you will have to do it again."

Have you ever been extremely angry? If not, have you ever seen someone like that? Perhaps you can think of someone who truly seemed like a "very furious" person? In Proverbs 19:19, the person described as "a hot-tempered man" is translated as "A hot-tempered man" in the NIV Bible. This term refers to someone with a "volatile temperament"—a person who is quick to lose their temper. A person with such a temperament easily bursts into anger. This type of anger or temperament is said to have six variations (according to the internet):

1. Sudden Rage: This type of anger arises suddenly and unexpectedly, to the point where a person's personality drastically changes. The person cannot control their emotions, thoughts, or actions, or can only partially do so.

2. Seething Rage: This anger builds up over time. It simmers like lava under the surface and the person becomes obsessed with situations they perceive as unfair.

3. Survival Rage: This type of anger explodes when something threatens a person’s core sense of self-worth.

4. Impotent Rage: This anger is born out of helplessness.

5. Shame-based Rage: This is a sensitive, reactive anger that arises when something is unintentionally ignored or dismissed, but the person overreacts.

6. Abandonment Rage: This type of anger arises when a person cannot handle feelings of loneliness, anxiety, or uncertainty.

In short, explosive anger is a form of Total Rage, which is powerful and extreme. Words are useless in this state. The person retreats into their own world. However, after some time, overwhelming guilt and regret follow. It’s interesting that in the original Hebrew, the term for "a hot-tempered man" can also be translated as "furious" (meaning extremely angry) (according to internet sources). The word furious itself has roots in ancient Greek and Roman mythology, where the names of three vengeful goddesses were "Furies" (according to internet sources). The Romans called these vengeful goddesses Furia (in English, Furies), and this is the origin of the word fury, which means intense anger or passion. Originally, this word referred to a type of madness that violently churns within a person, meaning someone who loses control of their actions. In the United States, especially, women who act in such a way are sometimes referred to as Furies. Over time, this meaning has diminished, and now furious simply means being very angry (according to internet sources).

As we already learned in Proverbs 15:18, a person who is extremely angry stirs up strife. And in Proverbs 29:22, the Bible says, "An angry man stirs up strife, and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgressions." For this reason, the Apostle Paul advises us in Ephesians 4:26-27: “In your anger, do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” When we get angry, we must avoid giving the devil a foothold to make sure we don’t sin. If, like the person described in today’s passage, we get extremely angry, we will most certainly sin against God. Therefore, in Proverbs 19:19, the Bible tells us, "A hot-tempered man will pay the penalty."

Don’t you think this is obvious? The reason why a person who is extremely angry deserves punishment is because they commit many sins. One of those sins is that they do not listen to God’s correction. Even if they hear it, they distort God’s rebuke while still being consumed with their intense anger. This type of person does not genuinely repent for their wrongdoing. Another sin, as mentioned in the second part of Proverbs 19:19, is that even if God rescues them, the same situation will happen again. In other words, a person with a hot temper will sin again even after receiving punishment. Due to this repeated sin, a hot-tempered person inevitably faces punishment.

Brothers and sisters, we must not become people who are quick to anger. Instead, we should be people who are slow to anger (He who is slow to anger) (11:29; 14:29; 15:18; 16:32). The reason for this is that our God is slow to anger (Exodus 3:6, Numbers 14:18, Psalm 86:15, 145:8, Nahum 1:3, Joel 2:13, Jonah 4:2). If we are quick to anger, we are fools (Proverbs 14:17). However, if we are slow to anger, the Bible calls us wise (Proverbs 19:11). My prayer is that both you and I would become wise people who are slow to anger.

Secondly, we should not become false witnesses.

Look at today's main passage in Proverbs 19:28: "A corrupt witness mocks at justice, and the mouth of the wicked gulps down iniquity." Who is the "corrupt witness" here? A corrupt witness is one who deliberately distorts and disregards justice, a worthless and wicked (worthless and wicked) witness. The Bible tells us that the mouth of such a corrupt witness gulps down iniquity, meaning that the corrupt witness seeks sin with an insatiable desire and continues to pursue it (Walvoord). The sin sought by such a corrupt witness is speaking lies (6:19). In other words, the corrupt witness is a false witness (19:5, 9). I always wonder, when I watch Korean dramas, why there are so many lies. I'm not sure if it's a cultural difference, but I don't understand whether they lie out of consideration for the other person or if they lie to hide something from the other person. One thing is clear: lying leads to more lies. Then, when all the lies eventually come to light, I wonder why they didn't tell the truth from the beginning. What do you think? Do you think we should always tell the truth from the start, or do you think there are times when it's okay to lie (a "good" lie)?

As I meditated on Proverbs 19:28, I was reminded of Proverbs 6:19, and as I reflected on these two verses together, I thought: "A corrupt witness speaks lies but can also intentionally distort the truth to divide brothers." The Bible clearly states that such a false witness will not escape punishment and will perish (19:5, 9; 21:28). So, why do you think the corrupt witness intentionally distorts justice and never stops lying? I found the answer in Psalm 59:12: "For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, let them even be taken in their pride, and for cursing and lying which they speak." What does this mean? The reason the corrupt witness distorts justice and constantly speaks lies is because of pride. Because of their pride, the corrupt witness distorts the truth and continues to lie. In Proverbs 14:5 and 25:25, it is written: "A faithful witness will not lie, but a false witness will pour out lies... A faithful witness saves lives, but the one who speaks lies deceives." Brothers and sisters, as witnesses of Jesus Christ, we must be truthful witnesses (14:5, 25). We must not lie with our mouths. Especially, we must not give false testimony against our neighbors (Deut 5:20). We should not strike others with false testimony (Proverbs 25:18). We must hate lies (13:5) because God hates lies (12:22). All lies do not come from the truth (1 John 2:21). Therefore, we must not speak lies but must speak the truth (Proverbs 12:17).

Finally, thirdly, we should not become arrogant.

Look at today's main passage in Proverbs 19:29: "Judgments are prepared for scoffers, and beatings for the backs of fools." Who are the "arrogant"? When we say, "That person is arrogant," we typically think of someone who acts superior and looks down on others, or someone who doesn't know their place and is rude. Do you have anyone like that around you? Or do you sometimes feel like we ourselves are arrogant? According to a Hebrew-English dictionary, "arrogant" is defined as "a proud and haughty person who enjoys despising others and cannot accept correction or rebuke. Wisdom cannot be found in such a person" (Whitaker). In other words, the arrogant person is proud and haughty, and because they do not know their place, they think they are better than others and take pleasure in looking down on others, but they strongly dislike being corrected or rebuked. God will never show grace to such a person. In fact, Proverbs 3:34 says that God mocks the proud (God mocks proud mockers). And in Proverbs 9:12, the Bible says that if we are arrogant, we will suffer alone (you alone will suffer). The Bible clearly says that if we are arrogant, we will suffer alone, so what should we do if we see arrogance in our children? What should we do if we love our children and try to correct them, but they don't listen? Proverbs 19:25 says: "Strike a scoffer, and the simple will become wise; rebuke the discerning, and they will gain knowledge." Look at the second part of Proverbs 10:13: "...the rod is for the back of the fool." In the first part of Proverbs 14:3, it says: "The fool speaks with pride and invites a beating..." Look at Proverbs 26:3: "The whip for the horse, the bridle for the donkey, and the rod for the back of fools." In the end, the Bible instructs us to discipline arrogant children. Why? Proverbs 22:15 says: "Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him." Proverbs 29:15 says: "The rod of correction gives wisdom, but the child left to himself brings shame to his mother." Proverbs 23:14 says: "If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from death."

Dear friends, we should never be arrogant. Rather, we should be humble. We should not be wise in our own eyes (26:12) and we should not be proud (12:9, 25:6). We should not set our hearts on high things (Rom. 12:16). In a word, we should not be proud (1 Cor. 4:18). Rather, we should be humble (2 Chron. 12:6). We should humble ourselves before God and people. We should be humble like Jesus (cf. Phil. 2:6-8). And we should be servants to all like the apostle Paul (1 Cor. 9:19). What is the purpose? The purpose is to win more people (v. 19).

I would like to conclude my meditation on the Word. Dear friends, what kind of people should we not be? We should not be people who are quick to anger. We should not be false witnesses. We should not be arrogant. Rather, we should be humble like Jesus. Also, we must become true witnesses of Jesus. And we must become people who are slow to anger like Jesus. In a word, we must all become people who resemble Jesus. I earnestly pray in the name of Jesus that we all become more like Jesus.