The word "provoked" refers to a sudden outburst. The Phillips translation reads; love is "not touchy." This means that love is not provoked to wrath; love isn't looking for a fight and is never ready and waiting to fight. Love is not pugnacious.
A Puritan once wrote: "I am determined so to be angry as not to sin; therefore to be angry with nothing but sin." If we're going to be really angry about something, let's be angry at sin.
Jonathan Edwards, the third president of Princeton University and one of the greatest American preachers who has ever lived, had a daughter who had an uncontrollable temper.
A young guy fell in love with her; but because they were smitten with one another, they didn't really know each other well enough for him to have experienced her temper.
After a time of courting, the young man came to Edwards, asking for his daughter's hand in marriage. "Dr. Edwards," he said, "I want to marry your daughter." "You can't have her," was Edwards abrupt reply. "But I love her!" "You still can't have her!" Edwards repeated. "But she loves me!" argued the young man. "You still can't have her," Edwards again repeated. "But why not?" the exasperated young man pleaded. "Because she's not worthy of you," Edwards adamantly responded. "But, Dr. Edwards, she's a Christian, isn't she?" "Yes," said Edwards, "but the grace of God can live with some people with whom no one else could ever live."
His daughter was like the man who said, "I lose my temper, but it's all over in a minute." So is a nuclear bomb!
Love is not easily provoked.
(Commentary Mark Martin)