In a multitude of people is the glory of a king,
but without people a prince is ruined.
Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,
but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh,
but envy makes the bones rot.
Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,
but he who is generous to the needy honours him.Proverbs 14:28-31
We have in 28 a word of considerable import for those who would bear rule over us. Unless a sovereign or sovereign's minister can command the respect of the people, unless they can honour his integrity and therefore own his authority, downfall is inevitable; surely a timely reminder that character and integrity, not cleverness and astuteness in political manoeuvre, are the qualities that matter. The emphasis in 29 and 30 is on peace and tranquility. 'Live peaceably', says the writer, 'for it is wisdom to do so' (29). He that is peaceable in the ordinary circumstances of life who is not easily provoked (17a) has found the secret of wisdom. Not only so, a sound (tranquil, RSV) heart is good for the health. This is not quite the same thing as having an easy going nature; a tranquil mind can be very angry at times with injustice and wrong, whereas an easy-going nature does not seem to make much distinction between good and evil. There are some important New Testament references that underline the thought in 31, as for example James 2:5 where the apostle speaks of the danger and the scandal of respect of persons, and 1 John 3:17 and Matthew 25:34ff. From these passages we see that there can be both conscious and unconscious oppression of the poor; it can be done by deliberate discrimination and it can be done by inadvertence, and the one is as bad as the other. He who is kind to the poor, however, honours God. In a general sense, of course it is obvious that to show mercy honours God, but it is true in a particular sense also, because it reflects God's image in the world, it shows the world what God is like. It is a 'placarding' of God in the world. Would that we His people, believed this more!