Verbal Restraint | Part 2
Proverbs 21.23
“Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.”
If we speak rashly, recklessly, and foolishly we get into trouble. If we exercise restraint and hold our tongue, we keep ourselves out of trouble. This is true relationally, socially, and politically.
Here are more verses from Proverbs that provide instruction on how to be disciplined and effective in your speech.
- Proverbs 18.4: “The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.”
The words of a wise person “bubble up” from a place of deep thought and insight. The image of a brook indicates that the words of the wise are life-giving to others. Their observations are careful, thoughtful, and helpful.
- Proverbs 18.6-8: “A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating. A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul. The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.”
Don’t be impulsive with your words. Don’t gossip. Don’t be argumentative. Don’t be combative. If you speak recklessly, you are inviting conflict. Use gentle words when someone is angry. Talk to people, not about people. When you gossip, it’s like eating food that tastes good, but then makes you very sick.
Heed the dire warning in this passage: Be careful that your mouth doesn’t ruin you; that it doesn’t ensnare and entrap your very soul with words of arrogance and deceitfulness.
- Proverbs 18.20: “From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is satisfied by the yield of his lips.”
Speaking with truth and wisdom is spiritually fulfilling. Just as food satisfies physical hunger, so also words of wisdom satisfy the soul and the spirit. - Proverbs 12.18: “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.
When we honor Christ as Lord, our talk is real and authentic, and it is appropriate for the situation. In some situations we should speak quietly and gently; in other situations directly and dispassionately; in still other situations we should speak with an emotional edge. It all depends on the circumstance, and therefore wisdom is involved.
Let’s be careful about what we say and how we say it. Words are very powerful things, much more powerful than many of us realize.
Coram Deo
