Proverbs - Angry Authority

Proverbs 20:2

The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul.

Authority is to be respected and submitted to.  When we provoke someone in authority over us to anger we sin against our own soul.  We create an environment that is oppressive and troublesome for ourselves.  People in authority over us have been given, by God, the ability to make decisions that affect our lives.  This is why we must pray for those in authority and seek to honor them.  This includes government authority, husbands, supervisors, landlords, pastors, parents and ministry leaders.  When we are considering our actions or words that will directly impact those over us, we must remember that if we choose to live a way that will provoke them to wrath, our very souls will be troubled.

This is a good truth to teach our children.  If they provoke us or their fathers to wrath, oftentimes the punishment will be much more severe than needed because of the heightened emotion.  They need to speak respectfully and not walk deceitfully so that the infraction can be dealt with in calm matter rather than the heat of being caught off guard or deceived.