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Today we examine a proverb that points to many things. These include anger, forgiveness, meekness, prudence and glory. The first half of the proverb tells us that a persons discresion makes them slow to anger. This is a characteristic of a true child of God. made in the image of God because we also know the Bible tells us that our LORD is slow to anger, but will not leave the guilty unpunished:
"The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet." (Nahum 1:3).
The second part of this proverb teaches us that it is a glory to overlook a transgression. Like the first half of this parable, the second also has a dual meaning. While we are taught to overlook the treansgressions of our neighbor; we do this because Jesus did so; He paid the penalty to save a people for Himself and suffered and died at Calvary to overlook their transgressions. In the New Testament we also find the same teaching on this subject:
"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:31,32).
"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matthew 5:44-48).
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