The Powwer of the Tongue

Proverbs 17 & 18 selected verses

 Words have meaning, one is wise to look up the meaning of words they do not understand, and I spend a lot of time looking up words.  Words also can bring a smile to a person's face or bring hurt and sorrow.  How one uses a word is very important, for Solomon tells us in Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”

An example I’ve heard is a child that lies to his parents, now there are two ways to handle this; one destroys the other does not.  If the parents say, you are such a liar you are now talking about their character.  But if you say you lied to us, you know we do not approve of that nor does God.  You are talking about an action, not a way of life.

So let’s examine how a wise man handles words, and I want to use a footnote from Holman Study Bible page1031 taken from Proverbs 1:5, “a wise man will listen and increase his learning, and a discerning man will obtain guidance—“ The footnote: “A discerning man has the capacity to understand what he hears and sees and to internalize so that it directs his actions.”  I believe that gives understanding to Proverbs 17:27, “The intelligent person restrains his words, and one who keeps a cool head is a man of understanding.”

Have you listened to many of our college students being interviewed from some place of higher learning?  This verse often comes to my mind when they open their mouth; “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.” (Proverbs 18:2)  I have also been guilty of doing that in my past, and I hope and pray I no longer do such foolishness.

Solomon has much to say about the fool and also the person of wisdom, but a wise person can learn much from studying both.  I have witnessed both of these verses in my own life, and once more I hope they are in the past.  Proverbs 18:6,7, “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.”

One of the hardest things to teach a salesperson is to listen to the customer, and I believe it is also hard for parents often to listen to their children.  Proverbs 18:13, nails us on this; “The one who gives an answer before he listens—this is foolishness and disgrace for him.”  Many a sale has been missed by not listening to the needs of the customer, and many a child quits trying to talk to parents who do not listen.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice