The king talks about discipline and self-control today. He speaks of the importance of instructing those we are responsible for, such as our children and our employees. He reminds us how important it is that we take godly instruction to heart and maintain self-control.
"Discipline your children, and they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire." (Proverbs 29:17) He says, "Bring your children up in the right way. Teach them how to be godly men and women. They will be a delight to you as you grow older."
"Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds instruction." (Proverbs 29:18) The Lord has spoken to mankind in a number of ways, as the author of Hebrews points out, "In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at various times and in many ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son." (Hebrews 1:1-2a) God has had His faithful ones in every age who took heed to the words of those sent by Him. Solomon declares, "Blessed is the one who hears God's word and takes it to heart!" If the Old Testament saints were blessed by obeying the instructions given to them by prophets of old, how much more are we blessed in our generation when we obey the instructions given to us by God's only Son?
"Servants cannot be corrected by mere words; though they understand, they will not respond." (Proverbs 29:19) Some have suggested Solomon is saying it's alright to beat servants who are reluctant to obey, and such a practice would have been common in ancient times, but I don't think we can conclude from this one verse that Solomon believed in hitting his servants. He doesn't strike me as a violent person. He's a man who took a dim view of laziness, so we can be pretty certain he rewarded the servants who performed their jobs faithfully, while he probably reprimanded or removed privileges from servants who slacked off on their work. In our own times an attitude of insubordination in the workplace is dealt with by reprimanding the person or even demoting or firing them, so I'm sure Solomon had similar procedures in place to deal with employees who didn't perform up to standard. If he had intended to say it was okay to beat his servants, he was capable of saying so plainly, but he doesn't.
"Do you see someone who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for them." (Proverbs 29:20) Solomon has discussed this subject several times. It's imperative that we take time to think before we speak. He says, "It's more likely for a spiritually reprobate man to become righteous than for someone who speaks in haste to learn from his mistakes. The one who never thinks before he speaks is always going to be in trouble."
"A servant pampered from youth will turn out to be insolent." (Proverbs 29:21) The king believes in keeping the hierarchy intact. He's noticed that if he treats his servants like family members they begin to behave like they own the place. They start to ignore his orders. Anyone who has ever been the boss at work will know what he means. The boss should be respectful and friendly to employees while avoiding becoming so chummy with them that employees begin to behave disrespectfully. It's hard to give instructions to someone you've treated like family or to reprimand them when needed. The king says, "Be kind and considerate to employees; just don't let them forget you're the boss."
"An angry person stirs up conflict, and a hot-tempered person commits many sins." (Proverbs 29:22) A person who harbors a spirit of anger stirs up conflict wherever he goes. He keeps things unsettled at home. He causes arguments at work. He brings discord into the church. He can't get along with his neighbors. Anger has a way of leading us into many sins, as Solomon cautions. Self-control is the goal of the Christian. If we give way to our emotions we will be indistinguishable from unbelievers. Then what influence will we have on those who don't know Christ? They will look at us and say, "She looks just like me! He does the same things I do! How would I benefit by following Jesus? As far as I can tell, these Christians aren't any better than I am."
We have to go out into the world every day and interact with people, so let's keep in mind that we are ambassadors of Christ. We must practice self-control. We can't yell at our server in the restaurant or be hateful in the checkout line or scream at our co-worker for making a mistake. You probably remember several years back when all the merchandise came out with "WWJD" (What Would Jesus Do?) on it. Unfortunately that became such a common catchphrase that it almost of lost its meaning, but it's a valid question we should be asking ourselves all the time. When we're driving in heavy traffic and somebody cuts over in front of us, what would Jesus do? When the server gets our order wrong, what would Jesus do? When our co-worker speaks to us disrespectfully, what would Jesus do? When a friend says something that hurts our feelings, what would Jesus do? When interacting with unbelievers who scorn us for our faith, what would Jesus do?
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