The image is painfully clear. In those days, a city with a breached wall was absolutely lost. The enemy could not be stopped, and what was left of the city was just ruins.
It is just like that with the man who cannot control his own spirit. Someone who does not know how to exercise self-control is lost. His life eventually turns into ruins.
Here we receive ardent encouragement to control and discipline ourselves. Woe to the person who neglects to do this. It is remarkable how often we encounter the lack of self-control in the book of Proverbs. Some examples of this are Proverbs 14:29, Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly
; Proverbs 29:11 A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.
A lack of self-control is life-threatening. Be strong therefore, to withstand these sworn enemies—the devil, the world, and our own flesh.1 Looking at Proverbs 25:28, we can point here specifically to our own flesh.
A person must control himself and be prepared to deal with himself. That is definitely not easy.
For this we need God to help us.
28 A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.