“The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression.” Proverbs 19:11
The Hebrew word translated discretion means insight, prudence, good judgment or as Hebrews 5:14 puts it, the ability to discern. Discretion is the mark of someone who is spiritually mature, and it enables him to be slow to anger. Being slow to anger is an attribute of God. It is Christlike behavior and makes him a formidable force for good. Proverbs 16:33 reinforces the same idea, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”
The antithesis would be a man who is reactionary, flying off the handle, enslaved and at the mercy of his emotions. This is the natural man, the carnal man, the man who resorts to solving his problems with force, without thinking. In Proverbs 19:11 being slow to anger gives the mature Christian the ability to discern whether a sin against them or another person needs to be confronted or overlooked. He knows the primary goal is to glorify God, and it takes discretion and patience to know which course of action will accomplish that goal.
This means that not every sin needs to be directly confronted. God does not want us to be judgmental sin-sniffers, digging up and confronting every minor infraction. We are not to be easily offended by people, demanding satisfaction for every insult we receive. Pages 82-83 and 150-155 of The Peacemaker gives some good counsel on how to decide if an offense needs to be confronted or if it can be covered in love. But the prerequisite is to be a person who rules over their spirit, someone who is slow to anger already.
We should be ready to confront sin, but we should be just as ready to turn the other cheek. Again, either way the ruling principle is the glory of the Lord.
His mercy endures forever!
Pastor Flynn
Photo by Yohan Marion