Proverbs 16:14 - Meaning and Application

These two verses show the power of kings, which has always been great, but was especially strong in the eastern countries, where rulers were absolute and arbitrary. They could kill whom they wanted and spare whom they wanted. Their will became law. We have reason to thank God for the good form of government under which we live, since it supports the ruler’s authority without harming the people’s freedom.

Here, though, the verse points to two things. First, it shows how terrible a king’s anger can be. It is like messengers of death. The anger of Ahasuerus, the Persian king, was like that to Haman. An angry word from an offended ruler has often been a messenger of death, and has filled some people with such fear that they felt as if a death sentence had already been spoken.

A very wise person is needed to calm a king’s anger with the right word spoken at the right time. Jonathan, King Saul’s son, once calmed his father’s anger against David (1 Samuel 19:6). A careful subject can sometimes say the very thing that will soften an angry ruler and cool his resentment.

Second, the verse shows how valuable and desirable a king’s favor is for those who have lost his good will. If the king is reconciled to them, it feels like life from the dead. For others, his favor is like the cloud of the latter rain, which brings refreshing water to the ground. Solomon reminded his subjects of this so they would avoid doing anything that would stir his anger, and would instead do what would win his favor.

This should also remind us how important it is to escape the wrath of the King of kings, and to gain his favor. His anger is worse than death, and his favor is better than life. So people act foolishly when they try to avoid the anger and win the favor of an earthly ruler, but do it by losing God’s favor and bringing his wrath on themselves.