Proverbs 29.20
“Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”
Foolish people speak impulsively. They lack discipline; they do not pause and think before they speak. As a result, their reckless words get them into trouble. Wise people, on the other hand, are disciplined and careful about what they say. They think before they speak, which keeps them out of trouble.
Words are very powerful things, much more powerful than many of us realize. God calls us to choose our words wisely. If you want a productive and effective life, it is necessary to be disciplined in your speech and use what you say for the benefit and encouragement of others. Scripture provides many instructions on how to be disciplined and effective in your speech, and it offers many admonitions that warn not to speak foolishly.
Verbal and emotional restraint is a much-needed discipline in our time.
“Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness utters deceit. There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.” (Proverbs 12.17-19)
Wise people tell the truth; they speak words that are honest and that reflect reality. Therefore, they can be trusted. But false witnesses are fraudulent and misleading; they purposely seek to distort and deceive. They cannot be trusted.
Our society is awash in “false witnesses who utter deceit.” Sadly, this kind of foolishness has become both institutionalized and individualized through the many media platforms that are now readily available. Individually, people can (and do) say utterly foolish and venomous things on Twitter and Facebook. Institutionally, some of the national media have become platforms for partisan politics.
If you step back and pay careful attention, you will notice that people are quick to see the “false witness and utter deceit” in the messages of other people, but don’t seem to notice it in themselves. There are also times when people are aware of their own bias, but they lack the courage to acknowledge it and change. This, too, is foolish.
“There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
Foolish people are reckless and rash with their words; the way they talk is harmful and hurtful. They tear down. Wise people are disciplined and careful with their words; the way they talk is helpful and healing. They build up.
From the President to the Congress to the press to the professors in universities to the students in classrooms to the activists in the streets to the citizens doing work every day … DO NOT USE RASH WORDS!
We desperately need people who use their words to build up and heal. And again, start with yourself and your “group.” First take the log out of your own eye. Don’t respond to rash words with more rash words. Sometimes the problem isn’t the problem; sometimes the way you are responding to the problem is the problem.
“Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.”
The point here is that a lie may last for awhile, but inevitably it will be found out. Truth, on the other hand, may not be immediately evident, but it will eventually prevail and it will endure. Time will side with the truth. Seek the truth and speak the truth.
Let us be wise about what we say, how we say it, and why. Trust God and speak wisely.
