“Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool. In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is worth little. The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of wisdom.” Proverbs 10:18-21
These four Proverbs verses are about our speech. Proverbs has a lot to say about our speech and the power of words to build up or to destroy. The constructive and destructive power of words means that we need to be more intentional with our words and heed the admonition of verses like these so that we can put this powerful tool to use for the Kingdom of God.
The first Proverb in verse 18 reveals to us the disturbing reality that people lie. What they say with their mouths may not be true of what they think in their heart. We are not to be like that. This verse calls us to be peacemakers. We should follow the principles of peacemaking if we have something against another person before it festers and grows into hatred. We are not to pretend that everything is OK when it’s not. The connection with slander shows that if we leave this conflict undealt with, we will be tempted to slander and gossip, which goes hand in hand with hatred.
Slander is spreading false rumors about someone in order to hurt them and damage their reputation. Gossip is spreading true information for the same purpose. Many people’s lives have been destroyed by gossip and slander. Both are the tools of the enemy, tools for the fool, and not tools of the disciple of Jesus Christ.
The second Proverb, simply put, tells us to stop talking! How many conversations have we been in where everyone is simply giving their opinions one after another trying to get a word in and establish their view as the one everyone should have. We often talk at each other instead of with each other. Years ago, in high school I decided to put this verse into practice by determining not to give my opinion the whole day unless someone asked me directly what I thought. In all the conversations I had that day, not surprisingly, I wasn’t asked one time what I thought. This was quite enlightening and humbling. I learned that this Proverb is not just about closing your mouth but also implies the need to listen. We need to cultivate the skills to both restrain our lips and open our ears.
The third and fourth Proverbs both encourage us that words are not just destructive powers but can be used to create health and prosperity. We aren’t given any specifics in these verses on how to actually accomplish this, but in light of the negative, destructive power of words displayed in the first two Proverbs it is important to understand that we can actually build and strengthen people with our words as well as tear them down. Our words can heal. Our words can be a treasure themselves and also bring prosperity to others by imparting wisdom to them.
Often in Proverbs, wisdom is pictured as a treasure that needs to be sought after in order to find it. It doesn’t just come to you. In these Proverbs edifying, empowering speech is also a treasure to be sought, a skill to learn, and we are called to seek it. May God grant that we would be skilled stewards of the power of speech and may He use our words to bring health and prosperity to His Kingdom!
His mercy endures forever!
Pastor Flynn