A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, But the slow to anger calms a dispute.   Proverbs 15:18

Whenever we face a situation where we can react in anger we have a choice.  I know that some don't think so because they say that so-in-so made me angry - or such-and-such a situation made me mad.  The facts would say something much different.  They say that we control our temperment - not that circumstances and people control what we do.  Today's proverb helps us understand this.  Each day as we begin to interact with people and face a world filled with its varicolored situations, we need to do so making a conscious choice.  What that choice should be is the topic of God's wise counsel to us in this verse.

We have a choice whether we are going to be "hot-tempered" or not.  The Hebrew word for "hot-tempered" is very instructive and descriptive here.  It is "chemah" and means to be rage-filled, angry, and filled with poison or venom.  This is fascinating because we need to make a conscious choice not to have the venom and poison of the evil one flowing through our veins as we walk through our day.  By this I am not saying that we are demon possessed or anything fantastical like that.  Instead I refer to a much more subtle thing that energizes the strife that will follow such a man through his day.  Let me explain.

Each day we live we interact with others and with our environment from morning to night.  As we do this we have both problems and problem people come into our lives.  It is possible as we do this to be bitten by the evil one in such a way that his venom and poison enters our system.  This usually happens when someone hurts our feelings - or tramples what we perceive to be our right to be treated better or with a certain modicum of respect.  It can also happen when we begin to entertain the thought that a certain set of providential circumstances are a raw deal.  If we are not careful to cry out to God to remove such venom from the veins of our thinking and our heart - it can begin to do its insidious work in us.  Over time this poison will turn to bitterness against someone - resentment grows to a point where what at first was an annoyance becomes a seething cauldron of anger and rage toward someone.  In regard to circumstances that our God allows providentially in our lives, we can think Him cruel and uncaring.  This poison will turn our hearts a deep shade of bitter - and we soon find it hard to read His Word, pray, and ultimately to trust Hiim to cause all things to work for good.  As the infection spreads deeper in our reasoning, we soon become angry at our core - which is where this one is in this verse.  Thus the temper of his soul is such that he is constantly stirring up strife.  I've known men over the years who say that trouble seems to follow them.  But in a majority of the cases, they were one who had allowed the venom of the evil one through slights and circumstantial difficulties to  reach a critical mass in their hearts.  The trouble they perceived to follow them - really was trouble that they encoruaged because they are so angry in their core.  I've even watched this in some who do this not through active agression - but through passive-agressive actions and words (or the lack of them). 

There is another choice we can make in the Lord.  That is that we become those who calm disputes.  These are those who have at their core a work of the grace of God that makes them slow to anger.  The Hebrew word used for this is one that is also used to describe long pinions - which are the largest feathers on the wing of birds.  These particular feathers are used in birds to reduce drag on their wings thus helping them control both the wind and the turbulence that is natural in the sky while they fly.  What an astounding picture this is for us of the patient, long-suffering man who chooses to calm disputes rather than fuel them.  Like a bird who uses their long pinions to ride the wind while diffusing the problems it causes - these people ride the events of everyday life.  They choose to deflect and diffuse both the insults and indignities of life - as well as the problematic providences that we cannot change.  Rather than  having such things make their flight a bumpy one, their choice to be slow to anger allows them to ride the difficulties of living on earth rather than having the things of earth ride rough-shod over them.

A wise man knows that life is not going to be fair - neither is it going to bow down and kiss his feet every day.  He knows that since we live in a fallen world, that he will run into fallen people who act . . . well, they act fallen.  Therefore he chooses to turn to God, who deals with the indignities of over 7 billion people daily, and yet who does not consume them with His wrath.  This grace daily allows him to stretch forth his spiritual pinions and diffuse the problems and the poison that would turn him from being a peaceful, gracious man into an angry strife-ridden one.  May God give us mercy that we would be such men and women.

The king's favor is toward a servant who acts wisely, But his anger is toward him who acts shamefully. Proverbs 14:35

Anyone who has ever worked knows the difference between receiving the favor of your boss versus receiving an angry rebuke or tirade. Today's proverb reminds us that when we serve others - especially a king or person in high authority - it is good to be prudent in how we perform our duties.

The king will show favor to a servant who acts wisely. The word for "wisely" here is the Hebrew word, "sakal" which has as its root meaning to act with prudence. One who acts wisely takes time to consider his actions. He ponders what the consequences are for a word that he speaks or an action that he takes. He wants to understand and have insight into what he does. Any leader loves having such a servant or employee. They are not quick to rush into things and as a result make fewer mistakes. They are good employees because they honestly think of the good of the company - and are prone to being selfless toward others.

The king or boss in a situation will react with angrer though toward someone who acts shamefully. The idea behind this word is to cause shame or disgrace. Leaders know that when someone is not thinking and not pondering their choices - they will inevitably walk into a lot of problems. These particular problems are enough to shame a boss - or disgrace a king. It should not shock us therefore to learn that the king or boss reacts with wrath against this one. They are not only falling down on the job - but they are failing in a way that is bringing shame and disgrace on the business.

The foolish man acts without taking time to think about what is about to do. He has even less knowledge of the potential consequences for what he is doing. He does not want any restraint upon himself. The wise man looks things over and is careful to make a decision consistent with what is best for his authorities. That is why the king shows him such favor.

A tranquil heart is life to the body, But passion is rottenness to the bones. Proverbs 14:30

The heart is physically one of the most important organs of our body. If the heart is stopped the body will die. But what we read in today's proverb is not dealing with the physical heart. It speaks of the heart as the innermost region of our lives. The Hebrew mind looked at the heart as the central, spiritual, inward aspect of our souls. So when we look today at the issue of the heart and whether it is tranquil and strong - or whether it is tossed about and weak - means everything to the blessedness of the individual who struggles with issues of the heart.

The tranquil heart is the quiet one. What God is saying here is that this person's heart is strong and quiet. Their inner life is like the clear, mirror-like, state of the water in the early morning on a lake. This person's peace and calm is not disturbed by things that happen around it. The "soul-life" is strong and they can deal with problems and difficulties. There is an ultimate sense of peace here, because this one knows that God is sovereign over all things. They know they are in God's hand no matter what their circumstances look like. The Word of God is their comfort - and they will hold to it no matter what information in life seems to contradict it.

On the other hand there is a person who has "passion" in his life. The proverb tells us that this passion is like a rottenness in his bones. Things like jealousy, anger, over-zealousness, and envy run rampant in this one's heart. As a result there is no stability in him. These things run roughshod over his peace and contentment. There is a constant passion running wild within this man - almost pushing him from one extreme to another. And like a rottenness in his bones - he feels more and more like all stability and peace is gone from him.

One might wonder the source of such a peace. It is the knowledge of the gospel that brings us to peace with God. If there is peace between us and our God, then we are at peace with Him - and know peace in our souls. I've watched as strong believers have gone through the most trying of times, but they do so with tranquility. That is what the gospel of Jesus Christ looks like - and even more what it produces. If our sovereign God holds us and holds all the universe - we can trust Him.

He who is slow to anger has great understanding, But he who is quick-tempered exalts folly. Proverbs 14:29

We see throughout the book of Proverbs that a quick temper is a negative thing in a person's life. It can get us into a world of trouble. Here we read that the man who is quick-tempered exalts folly. Giving in to anger, resentment, and bitterness in our lives only exalts folly. The idea here expressed is that it is the "unthinking" and "unreasoning" way to live our lives. Anyone can become frustrated or angry and then give in to having a blowout that involves a temper flaring up and expressing itself in hurtful words or actions. That exalts stupidity and living foolishly. What then, can keep us from exalting folly by being quick-tempered?

The Bible says that someone who is slow to anger has great understanding. The word for understanding here is "tebunah" and it means to have both understanding and insight. It is taking both knowledge and wisdom and applying it in a way that helps us look into our anger and examine it before reacting. That indeed is wisdom. We need to ask ourselves the question, "Why am I so angry about this?" Looking into our reaction often will make us ask deeper questions and deal on a deeper level than just saying, "I'm so angry about this!"

When we probe our anger we need to be ready to run into personal issues that exist on the inside of our lives. I will never forget the shock it was to me when an older, wiser man told me the reason I got so angry with my children was because of my pride. On the inside I wanted to snap back that it was their disobedience that was making me mad - not something wrong with me. In no way was this man saying I should not have disciplined them for being disobedient and rebellious - he was only saying that I needed to see why at times I felt out of control while doing it. His wise counsel was that my pride and anger came from a desire to control my children - so they would never disobey. My reason behind this thought was that my kids made me look bad as a parent when they disobeyed - and that made me angry. A wise parent would know that children are GOING to be disobedient because they are sons of Adam.

The fall of man will ensure that every child will be disobedient and rebellious in some way. Therefore having a disobedient child does not mean you are a bad parent. A parent who is failing in their role is one who does not discipline his or her child for their disobedience. I was failing not because I was disciplining my child - but becasue at times I was doing so in anger. My anger was foolish because I was expecting my child never to disobey - so I would look good in other people's eyes. Therefore my anger - when disected with understanding - was due to a couple of foolish things. First, I was not grasping the true nature of a child. Second, I was wanting my child to be good so I would not be bothered with having to interrupt MY DAY with things I did not want to do. Third, the reason I wanted a "good child" was so that my glory could be advanced. When looking at my quick-tempered responses suddenly I was a little horrified (understatement of the year) at their root. It was pride! Therefore wisdom applied - understanding deepened - and a willingness to have the Holy Spirit probe deeper into my motivations yielded repentance . . . and it yielded an ability over time to be much slower to anger.

Let me encourage any of you who are struggling with being quick-tempered. Take the time to submit yourself to the Holy Spirit. Allow Him to take you deeper into your angry responses in order to look at them and see them at the level of your heart motivations. He will walk you through this process and will help you to understand why you have a quick-temper at times. I will not say that this is pleasant - but God will do it with a view to repentance and restoration. He will do so with great grace and comfort - as well as a little heart surgery that will help you to become someone who is far more slow to anger. You will find that His grace and His gospel will be enough to turn from quick-tempered foolishness to patient love and understanding.

A fool's anger is known at once, But a prudent man conceals dishonor.  Proverbs 12:16

Ours is a society driven by rights and by slights.  We are told that we have rights - and as a result of this education we demand them all the time.  One of the rights that evidently is near the top of the list is the right never to be offended.  That is why we have political correct language that is being ever more strictly enforced in our nation.  We cannot say things that will offend anyone else.  If the society determines that a certain word or phrase is no longer allowed - that word or phrase is banished from our circles.  If someone were so foolish as to speak that word of phrase - he too will be banished - even fired from his job.  If he is in the public eye - he will be summarily destroyed and cast upon the trash heap for the foreseeable future - possibly forever.  We are the nation with the greatest law protecting free speech (our first ammendment) but also the greatest number of unwritten laws that restrict our speech as well as punish any who dare step over the line. 

Our proverb today would help us greatly with our problems societally.  We are first warned that only a fool's anger is known at once.  The fool has no patience, therefore he is often disgusted and angry with others around him.  He takes up the slighest offence - whether overt or covert - and becomes vexed about it immediately.  The word for anger here is the Hebrew word "kaas" which means to be provoked to anger.  The problem is that this man is easily provoked - and lets his anger blow the moment that he is.  As we read here - his anger is know at once.  He is unable to control himself - and also unable to let things roll off his back like water off of a duck.  Every slight - every potential offence is taken to the deepest part of his being and fully embraced.  There is little wonder therefore that he has a tendency to lose it whenever this happens.  He is offended - angry - disgusted - and filled with rage toward whoever has knowingly or unknowingly slighted him. 

The prudent man is the one who conceals this anger and offence.  He is able to ignore the slights and snubs of life.  He is able to deal with the insults and general indignities of living in the fallen world.  Because he knows the world is fallen - he is aware that things like this are bound to happen.  Because he knows he too is fallen - he is aware of the need to be gracious and kind as he carries on life in this world.  He has learned to conceal dishonor.  The word for dishonor here parallels the Hebrew word for forgiveness.  He chooses to forgive and show mercy and grace rather than demand judgment and justice for every slight.  He has learned that the merciful are blessed, for they too receive mercy. 

Learning to be a prudent and wise man in this way will help you live much longer.  The word prudent here is the Hebrew word "arum" which has the idea of being sensible.  A sensible man knows that unless he wants his world to be in a continual state of stress, anger, rage, and bitter unforgiveness - he needs to let insults and vexation they can cause roll off of him.  By this he keeps his blood pressure down - and his friendships up.  If you are prone to become angry and blow off steam in almost every situation beware.  You are ruining your own life and living like a fool.  Be wise - be understanding - and be aware of the fallen world in which you live.  Show mercy and grace - for it will bring you joy even in the midst of a world filled with plenty of ways to become frustrated and angered.

If you have been foolish in exalting yourself Or if you have plotted evil, put your hand on your mouth. For the churning of milk produces butter, And pressing the nose brings forth blood; So the churning of anger produces strife.   Proverbs 30:32-33

Pride, anger, and plotting evil are all very foolish endeavors.  They may go a while without any kind of retaliating incident, but they are the kind of actions that store up trouble in the end.  That is what this proverb proverb wawar us about today.

There is no mincing words at the beginning of this proverb.  We are told that things like exalting ourselves or plotting evil are "foolish" things to do.  In fact this proverb is trying to warn us about the consequences of these actions.  This is done in the classic "if/then" fashion that we are used to seeing in the book of Proverbs.  Therefore we are being warned that if we engage in pride or plotting evil - bad things are on the horizon for us. 

The actions we are warned against here are twofold.  First we have the sin of exalting ourselves.  God values humility - and opposes the proud and those who would exalt themselves in the eyes of others.  I knew of an educator who put himself up for awards in the educational system in which he worked.  He genuinely thought he was worthy of the honor that these awards offered.  The problem was that because he "exalted himself" in this way, he was seen as a joke among his fellow educators.  Elsewhere in Proverbs we read that we need to let another praise us - and not our own lips.  To speak in praise of self - is to speak foolish words of pride that, according to Scripture, goes before a fall.  The second action we are warned against is that of plotting evil against another.  We all know of the end of those who do this.  Either they are caught in the process and shamed - or - they succeed in their plotting and it only causes them to become further corrupt.  Whichever way this goes it is a foolish endeavor that often takes this lives of the ones who give themselves to such overt evil.

What God warns against though is that these things in and of themsleves cause a churning of anger that will end in further strife.  Two examples are given to reminds us ot this.  The first is the churning of butter.  When milk is put into a butter churn it is a liquid.  But after you spend time churning that butter over and over again - it eventually turns to butter.  The second example is that of pressing someones nose.  The idea here is that of not just pressing down on a nose - but twisting it violently.  This, we are told, will produce blood.  Both of these things are undeniable truths.  You do these things - and the results are destined to follow. 

The reason these two examples are given is because God wants us to know that the churning of anger will produce strife.  When I first read this I fully understood how the churning of anger in plotting evil would produce strife.  Consider someone who churns with their anger inside of them - and they submit themselves to their anger to the point to where they begin actively plotting evil against the one with whom they are angry.  The plot unfolds - and the evil is done.  The result WILL be strife.  The one against whom the plot was carried out will become very angry - and strife between these two will last a very long time.  The one I was a little confused about is the practice of someone exalted themselves.  How does that produce anger and strife?  Then it became clear to me that when someone exalts themselves - others around them resent it.  They resent it because it is the natural desire of fallen man to be exalted.  So the anger comes when they exalt themsleves - and I react because deep down - I think I should have been exalted.  When this happens - I will begin to go out of my way (even subconsciously) to show how the person who exalted themselves does not deserve to be exalted.  Another response is to have a resentment against this person because I despise the fact that they have exalted themselves. 

God promises that these kind of actions are going to produce strife.  They will reveal the one guilty of them is a fool - and eventually their lives are going to be surrounded by problems that come from anger being churned up in themselves and others.  Jesus promised blessing, not the proud and self-exalting ones, but rather to peacemakers - and to those who humble themselves in the sight of God.  The lives that seek peace and the blessing and exalting of others will have far more peace and joy than the fools who only think of themselves.

Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, And do not deceive with your lips.  Do not say, "Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work."  Proverbs 24:28-29

How important is it for a soceity to value telling the truth?  One might argue that without this the ability of that soceity to function with any sort of justice is completely comprommised.  There has to be a basic level of trustworthiness and honesty for a soceity to function.  That is why our proverb for today is so important.  It urges us to tell the truth - and not to be a witness against our neighbor without cause.  Don't lie about your neighbor is what we are being told.  This is especially the case when any kind of bitterness of thought of revenge comes into our minds. 

There is a basic level of honesty that must be prevelent for a soceity to function.  Think for a moment about the number of transactions that take place every day that are based on the premise that we are being told the truth.  Now consider the number of ponzie schemes that have been exposed recently in our financial system.  This undermines everyone's confidence in the system itself.  It is only when honesty and truth prevail that one can feel even remotely safe in a society.  When that breaks down, the soceity itself breaks down.  Unless there is the rule of law - and the most basic levels of truth in what we do - our society will wind up looking like a banana republic where almost everything you do will have to be accompanied by a bribe to be done.  There will be no justice - and security will have to be maintained by how well you are armed. 

All this starts with the breakdown of honesty and truth between neighbors.  This is why God tells us NEVER to be a false witness against our neighbor.  We are not to give deceitful testimony - but rather to speak the truth.  The breakdown of decency is not the fault of Washington.  Decency broke down because we abandoned it toward our neighbors.  What we have in Washington is what happens when a society in general leaves honesty and accepts growing levels of dishonesty in itself and in its leaders.  We would not have the pack of dishonest, money-hungry, power-hungry fools leading us in our capitol accept for the fact that we ourselves did not DEMAND that our leaders be better than that.  When faced with dishonesty in office, we should have DEMANDED RESIGNATIONS - and if that did not happen - they should have been told plainly that this is the last term they would ever serve as our representatives in government.  Instead we traded truth for government hand-outs in the form of projects, grants, and every other way one can say government bribery without using the word bribe.  Without honesty, truth, and integrity - we are doomed as a nation.

Our proverb warns us in verse 29 that the worst way that dishonesty raises its ugly head is as a means of revenge.  We are presented with a situation in which someone has been a false witness.  We are warned not to decide that we will do to them what they have done to us.  When we choose to fight fire with fire - everything and everyone gets burned.  Scripture teaches us to turn the other cheek.  We are informed to allow the proper government authorities to deal with these matters.  We are also told that we are to treat others as we would have wanted to be treated ourselves.  Know this . . . God is keeping track of all wrongs and His justice will prevail in the end.  In the meantime - use every opportunity to show forth grace and mercy - so that you will also have opportunity to share the gospel - even with your enemies.  Avoid revenge.  It may give you a brief moment of pleasure at their pain - but in the end it will rot your soul.  Give your offendedness to God for Him to heal - then embrace the very Spirit of Christ - Who will enable you to be gracioius to those who mistreat you, and will strengthen you to pray for those who abuse you.  Then all will see that you are a son of your Father in heaven.  Speak truth - be an honest witness - and leave judgment to God. 

A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, And a man of evil devices is hated.  Proverbs 14:17

One of the most often repeated mistakes in life is reacting in anger quickly and because we do, making very foolish choices.  That is what today's proverb warns against.  We are told that a quick-tempered man acts foolishly.  This quick-temper means to have a temper that is hasty in what it says and does.  It is a man filled with impatience and has what a Hebrew would refer to as a "short spirit."  The idea behind this concept is a man who is not truly in control of his spirit.  When something happens that irritates him - he reacts quickly.  He is weak in his moral disposition - and therefore will be prone to outbursts of anger and temper. 

The real problem this poses is that the man who is so "quick-tempered" is unable to make wise decisions.  Wise decisions are made because we can step back from things and see them from God's perspective.  The quick-tempered man cannot do this.  He reacts quickly to problems and irritations in life.  The quick knee-jerk reactions he makes gets him into a world of hurt.  A fool does not think through what he is about to say or do.  A wise man considers his words and steps and often resists saying or doing things that wisdom counsels against doing and saying. 

The second half of this proverb says that a man of evil devices is hated.  The words "evil devices" is the Hebrew word, "mezimmah" which means a plan or thought.  This term is used to describes the evil plans, schemes, and plots of humanity that are contrary to the will and Word of God.  How is this related to the first half of this proverb?  The plans and schemes that arise out of anger and rage are more than you can ever imagine.  So often a person who has committed a murder or some other heinous crime did so because he or she was acting in anger.  Someone has deeply offended them - or hurt them deeply - and instead of acting with wisdom and tempering their reaction - they want to act.  Some grab a gun and shoot someone, killing them in the heat of their passionate outrage.  Others blow their stack and then simmer in their anger until it moves them to hatch a horrible plot that they will wind up regretting for the rest of their lives.  Just as the proverb says, the one who acts on this evil plot or scheme is hated.  It does not matter what originally motivated them to these actions, others hate the outcome of their hatred, anger, and evil devices. 

We are reminded in this proverb that patience IS a virtue!  We are to be slow to anger - and rich in mercy - just like our God and Father.  These things will keep us from reacting in our anger and doing something truly foolish.

A gift in secret subdues anger, And a bribe in the bosom, strong wrath. Proverbs 21:14

Some of the proverbs are instructional while others are observational.  In no way is the Bible endorsing giving bribes to subvert justice - but God, the One who has inspired the Scriptures, is also not blind to the observation that bribes do exist and they are used to turn away anger and wrath.  In understanding this proverb we do need to focus on the fact that what is being said here deals with the issue of those who are angry and filled with wrath toward another.  This is not a proverb dealing with wanting to pervert justice - it is about dealing with those who come to a court situation and who are very angry.  It is written with truth that will help those who are wanting to lessen that anger before they get to court.  So what is this proverb telling us - and what observation is it giving to us?

When facing anger and wrath from someone - it is helpful in subduing it to offer a gift or a bribe.  Bribes do exist - and unfortunately the rich use them to subvert justice.  When a situation arises when someone is very angry and they are considering acting in the wrath of the moment - a bribe will help tone down the anger.  Is this righteous?  Most likely in the case of the bribe it is not.  Is it effective in the world?  Unfortunately it probably is.  But there is another way of looking at the statement that a gift in secret subdues anger. 

Those who know of court proceedings know that many cases are "settled" out of court.  What is often done is that lawyers offer a "settlement" to make a case or a person's anger go away.  The injured person is willing to have a sum of money - a gift given in secret if you will - subdue their anger and move them to drop the suit in court.  These settlements usually involve fairly large amounts of money.  They are meant to pacify the anger of the one who is bringing the suit or threatening to do so.  When this gift is given in secret - the case goes away.  For those who know that they are in trouble and guilty, yet do not want a court or a jury deciding the award in the case, a settlement may save them millions of dollars.  For the person injured or wronged, it saves them the difficulty of the court case itself - and the risk of getting nothing.  In the end, though everyone may not be completely thrilled, it does subdue the anger and settle the dispute. 

Remember though, this is a proverb that is observatory.  It is observing what happens in life - not dictating what should happen.  In this regard it is good to know these things - and to know that God knows too.  God knows that often these things will happen - but one thing to remember is that they will never happen at His bar of justice.  When we stand before God, there is no amount of money or works that will speak for us subduing His wrath.  The only thing that speaks in that day is the blood of Jesus Christ shed to pay for our sins in full.  There will be no bribes or gifts passed under the table.  God Himself has made the way of payment for sin - but know this - it is the ONLY payment accepted. 

For jealousy enrages a man, And he will not spare in the day of vengeance. Proverbs 6:34

Adultery is always stupid.  This is never more clearly seen than in the reality of the reaction of the husband who has learned that his wife has committed adultery with another man.  His reaction toward that man is predictable.  He reacts with jealousy - in fact what is written here is that he reacts with enraged jealousy.

Jealousy, which is referred to in this proverb, is the Hebrew word "qinah."  This word means zeal or jealousy.  It describes an intense passion and fervor.  It describes an emotion that is greater than wrath or anger.  Scripture calls this jealousy a rottenness in a man's bones (Prov. 14:30).  It is used to speak of a spirit of jealousy that comes upon a man in Numbers 25:11.  But the frightening description of this word is that it is used of God's zeal which He has toward his own people - and which He has for accomplishing His own will and purpose.  The word is used six different times to speak of the way God's wrath is expressed in judgment.  This is a strong word - and is made even stronger by the fact that it is used in connection with the word, "enrages."  This word is the Hebrew word "hemah" and it means wrath or heat.  It signifies great fury, anger, indignation, poison , or rage.  When put together these two words create quite a terrifying description of the emotions that come over a man who learns of an adulterer seeking to destroy his relationship with his wife. 

This enraged jealousy moves this man to seek the maximum penalty for adultery.  I've watched this in court battles and divorces.  The injured party, when given over to this enraged jealousy, wants to make the other person pay everything possible.  There is a desire for them to truly pay the highest price possible for their indiscretion.  They want a "day of vengeance."  That is why adultery is always stupid.  It always injures someone - and makes for emotions that rival any in life.  The wise man sees this and realizes that no promise of sexual pleasure will ever match the release of rage, anger, and wrath that will come when their deeds become known.