So many of the Proverbs are about the tongue, have you noticed? What we say ... how much we talk. In today's chapter there are several references to our speech again.
Verse 15: ... lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel
Verse 19: A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much. (The NRSV calls this person a "babbler")
Verse 25: It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider his vows.
So what do I learn about my speech from these proverbs? First, my words need to be true - they need to have knowledge behind them. It seems to be a rare thing ... a person who speaks only out of knowledge and truth. I want to be one of them.
Secondly, be careful to whom you confide confidences. The world is full of people who love to gossip .. they love to tell what they know, often exaggerating or twisting until the tale is unrecognizable. Not only do we need to be sure we are not one of them, we need to be wise in whom we confide.
Third, don't be a babbler ... don't talk all the time. When I was teaching Middle School a few years ago, we had a marvelous English teacher in my school. The 7th grade girls used to drive him crazy with their constant chatter. One day he was pushed over the edge and said to one girl, "It is possible to have an unexpressed thought!" I think of those words often ... don't talk all the time!
Fourth, be careful about promises and vows. A vow is a serious thing ... never to be taken lightly. So why not think carefully before you make them! One writer (Robert Alden) says, "Be very careful when making a promise. The enthusiasm of the moment may not reflect a realistic assessment of our ability to carry it out. This is dangerous because it forces some people into breaking vows." And breaking a vow is a serious matter.
So my prayer for today ... Lord, place a guard on my tongue today. Help me think before I speak. Help me be honorable when someone confides in me. Help me be thoughtful about promises. And when I make one ... give me the strength to carry it to completion. You are faithful and trustworthy ... may I be more like You today.
I really liked this post, Gail. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI was also touched by verse 24:
"A man's steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way?"
I'm such a planner and, dare I say, control freak at times. I need to BE STILL and know that God is GOD! (Psalm 46:10) He ALONE is in control. So, when I feel totally lost or scared or confused or disappointed that I'm now on Plan B or C, I need to know that it is God's will and God's way. My ways are not His ways; His ways are INFINITELY higher than mine (Isaiah 55:8-9) and ALWAYS filled with His everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3).
GOD IS IN CONTROL!!! Be still and know that HE IS GOD!
Jill ... I think that is what trust is all about. KNOWING that God is in control ... He is sovereign over the affairs of man ... and we can walk securely in that knowledge ... even when our plans do not work out as we have visualized them!
ReplyDeleteIn verse 19, it's interesting to me that he doesn't say "watch what you say around" a man who talks too much (even though that's good advice!). No... he says: "A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much." In light of last night's classtime discussion on gossip, I hear this writer warning that we can be responsible for breaching someone else's privacy merely by keeping company with such a talker. Yikes!
ReplyDeleteA few more thoughts:
ReplyDeleteYour observation that so many of the Proverbs addressing our habits of speech - knowing when to speak up and when to shut up - makes me remember James' statement that “no man can tame the tongue.”
John Milton, in his Sonnet on His Blindness, writes "They also serve who only stand and wait." This is reassuring to those of us for whom "apt" words do not always come easily when consoling or encouraging others. I find myself in that position frequently! Yet I have been the recipient of far too many such words not to know how valuable they can be. Many are indelibly imprinted on my mind, and I replay them like a mantra whenever my tanks of joy and courage run low. In these mental sound bites, the voices of a few specific friends feature prominently. I am amazed at how many times one of these friends has changed a difficult situation for me with just a word or two -- and changed it so dramatically that now when I recall the event, the memory of the angst associated with it is completely eclipsed by the memory of the powerful words that transformed it. In that context, the verbal interactions jump off the page at me. Here are a few particular ones I’ve noticed:
• 15:4 -- The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.
• 15:23 -- A man finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word!
• 15:30 -- A cheerful look brings joy to the heart [when in doubt, a smile is understood in any language!], and good news gives health to the bones.
By contrast:
• 15:14 -- The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.
• [And from chapter 14:6] The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.
Pursuit of knowledge is a worthy goal, but without a heart that listens to God, knowledge merely "puffs up." Discernment on the other hand is a gift from God, behaving both as a TelePrompTer and as a censor... so "Lord, set a guard over my mouth” is right! And -- "grant me the discernment to be a friend whose words are consistently healing and encouraging!"