Hot Light

 

 

     I remember in high school, our youth group participated in the teen Bible quizzing program. We would not only quiz in our district meets, but we would also travel the Midwest and participate in different invitationals. On those trips, there was one light more important than the stoplight. It was the Krispy Kreme hot light. If it was on, that meant the donuts were fresh and warm, sugary goodness that melted in your mouth.

 

     What do fresh donuts have to do with our passage today? It may not seem like much, but if you keep that hot light in mind I promise you we will get there.

 

     Proverbs 22:24-25(CEB):

 

     24 Don’t befriend people controlled by anger; don’t associate with hot-tempered people; 25 otherwise, you will learn their ways and become trapped.

 

This is the word of God

For the people of God

Thanks be to God

 

 

     This passage is from the book of Proverbs, about wisdom. While there is no one-size-fits-all model for every life situation, Proverbs offers sound practical advice for dealing with many of them.

 

     Our passage offers very practical advice on the company we keep around us. Verse 24 says, “Don’t befriend people controlled by anger.” The person who is described here is one who allows their anger to dictate their life. They are angry, so they do not care what they say or who they hurt. Hurtful words may only be a small portion of their actions and reactions flowing from their anger. When they are calm this person might be quiet like a church mouse, but get them angry and they become the Incredible Hulk. Proverbs 22 ends verse 24 with, “Don’t associate with hot-tempered people.” The advice moves from making friends with such people to not even associating with them.

 

     The writer not only gives us this advice, but in verse 25 they continue with why. Verse 25 says, “Otherwise, you will learn their ways and become trapped.” The word translated “learn” is found only here and three other times in the Book of Job. The idea behind it here is to be influenced by the person of anger to behave in the same way. That influence can lead to us being trapped. While the CEB accurately articulates the danger, it does soften it. In the Hebrew, it certainly means a snare or trap. But the trap here implies an element of death, and in this case death of the soul. Death of the soul occurs through sin.

 

     What does this have to do with us? What does this have to do with the Krispy Kreme Hot Light? Hot lights are for donuts, not for people. By hot I mean people who are full of wrath.

 

     Now, you might be thinking, “Didn’t Jesus get angry and flip over tables?” Yes. Anger is an emotion common in our human experience. But Jesus flipping the tables was not a passion-filled moment controlled by anger. His reaction was from holy passion, acted upon through His holiness, not His anger. His reaction was rooted in love to restore God’s Temple to its purpose. So anger as an emotion is not a sin, but too often our human reaction comes from our sinfulness.

 

     Our passage is warning us against surrounding ourselves with angry people who tend to let their emotions be an excuse for their sin. By associating with such people, we open ourselves up to become tools of the enemy that only sow more seeds of violence, fear, and anger.

 

     Jesus tells us in His sermon, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God.” As followers of Jesus, we are children of God. Since we are children of God, we should seek to be peacemakers. A peacemaker is not someone who sweeps sin and injustice under the rug. Instead, they confront issues with a heart of love seeking to heal and reform.

 

     This is where the company we keep matters. Angry people produce more angry people. Peacemakers produce more peacemakers. As a body of believers, there are a lot of things happening in our world that makes us angry. But rather than become an angry mob, we can choose to become those who see the divides and attempt to bridge the gap by offering Jesus who filled the gap between God and humanity’s sin. There may be moments when tables need flipping, but most situations require us to have humility, respect, gentleness, patience, and kindness. All those are the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit we demonstrate naturally when we are filled with the Holy Spirit.

 

     Paul wrote in Colossians 3:12-14, “Therefore, as God’s choice, holy and loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience… And over all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” And that is our challenge as we leave today. Can we clothe ourselves in the power of the Holy Spirit?

 

     Rather than become lost in the shouts of the angry mobs, these verses in Proverbs 22 challenge us to be different. Can we leave the hot light to be a call for donuts? God is calling us through His Holy Spirit to offer peace to a world in desperate need of it.