WISE TALK
Opening Prayer
Lord, keep me aware of what comes out of my mouth.
Read PROVERBS 18:1–24
An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends
and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.
2 Fools find no pleasure in understanding
but delight in airing their own opinions.
3 When wickedness comes, so does contempt,
and with shame comes reproach.
4 The words of the mouth are deep waters,
but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.
5 It is not good to be partial to the wicked
and so deprive the innocent of justice.
6 The lips of fools bring them strife,
and their mouths invite a beating.
7 The mouths of fools are their undoing,
and their lips are a snare to their very lives.
8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to the inmost parts.
9 One who is slack in his work
is brother to one who destroys.
10 The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.
11 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;
they imagine it a wall too high to scale.
12 Before a downfall the heart is haughty,
but humility comes before honor.
13 To answer before listening—
that is folly and shame.
14 The human spirit can endure in sickness,
but a crushed spirit who can bear?
15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,
for the ears of the wise seek it out.
16 A gift opens the way
and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.
17 In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,
until someone comes forward and cross-examines.
18 Casting the lot settles disputes
and keeps strong opponents apart.
19 A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city;
disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.
20 From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.
21 The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.
22 He who finds a wife finds what is good
and receives favor from the Lord.
23 The poor plead for mercy,
but the rich answer harshly.
24 One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Col. 4:6).
Another recurring theme in Proverbs is the power of speech. We have met it before (cf. Prov. 10:8,11,21,31). The old saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” is not true; it is merely a defense mechanism. Words possess the power of life and death (21). Our words reveal our inner life, and it is wise not to rush into speech, which can result in looking foolish and lead to disaster. Better to stop, listen and think (13), so that our words might be a fountain of wisdom (4).
James, a New Testament book which has much in common with Old Testament wisdom literature, paints vivid pictures of the power of speech and its potential danger (Jas. 3:1–12), warning leadership especially to beware of speaking too quickly. Gossip may bring some passing, if vindictive, pleasure, but in the end it is corrosive (8), something of which New Testament writers are only too well aware (e.g., 2 Cor. 12:20; 1 Tim. 5:13).
Speech is often about image. In a world in which so much communication takes place on social media, we need to be careful about the words we type in. We can use our words to establish an identity, which we then use as a source of security, just as we use our wealth (11). However, as the writer points out, true security and genuine identity can be found only in relationship with God (10–12), an idea which has been celebrated in song from Luther’s majestic “Ein feste burg” (“A safe stronghold”) to the more recent, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower.” In a threatening and dangerous world, we have nowhere else to go, and those who are most aware of the danger are those most aware of the need to trust God.
Apply
Who will you meet this weekend? How will your words build them up?
Closing prayer
Lord, give me an understanding of the power of words and how they can both harm and help.
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