Rescuing the Wrathful – Proverbs 19:19

We used to play pickup basketball every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at noon.  I was in the best shape of my life.  It was a blast.  But there were a few guys who could almost ruin it for us.  They invariably got angry about being fouled or cut off or whatever.  One day we had to break up a fight between two of them.  They were able to learn to control their anger.  But some aren’t.

A man of great wrath will pay the penalty, for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again. (Proverbs 19:19, ESV)

There are some people who are seemingly hopeless causes.  The energy that drives them, whether anger or some other coping mechanism, always leads them on destructive paths.  They will constantly experience the fruits of their bad choices, leading to poverty or violence or jail.

The wisdom of the wise encapsulated in this proverb does not command that you cease to help such people.  It only lays out for you the consequences most likely to occur should you help them.  You will be on a not so merry-go-round of repeated deliverances from the consequences of their actions.

Here is where it is most important to discern God’s purpose for you in the life of this poor soul.  You will need wisdom about how to help or whether to help.  It will be much like the choice given in Proverbs 26:4,5.  Either don’t answer a fool according to his folly or do answer him, depending on which is best for the given situation.

Whether you deliver him or not, compassion must still be the motive of your heart.