The Wrath of the King

For Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Proverbs 16:14

A king's wrath is a messenger of death,
and a wise man will appease it.

Its easy to think of oneself more highly than one ought. Those who actually are in higher stations of life are distant from us, and seem remote. That very remoteness can be a source of envy and resentment, leading to bitterness and a temptation towards acts that seek to undermine or ridicule those whom God has set in authority.

Ecclesiastes warns

Even in your thought, do not curse the king,
nor in your bedroom curse the rich,
for a bird of the air will carry your voice,
or some winged creature tell the matter.

A wise king will be long-suffering, and make allowances for the folly of man. I think of the end of C.S. Lewis's The Horse and his Boy, where Rabadash has been captured by the Archenlanders, and King Lune gently offers him peaceful terms, which he spurns. Aslan himself appears, and warns Rabadash that his doom is very near. Rabadash's continued refusal to repent leads to his folly being made concrete: he is transformed into a braying donkey.

This is in keeping with Psalm 2, where the Lord begins by laughing at the petty antics of his enemies, but their continued rebellion unleashes his full fury (the fury of his Son). Even in announcing the wrath to come, the Lord is calling wise men to repent, and appease the coming wrath by trusting, rather than rebelling, against the good rule of a good God.

Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.