Words of Life

I love the story of a Greek philosopher who asked his servant to cook the best possible dish. The servant, a very wise man, prepared a plate of tongue, saying, “It’s the best of all dishes, as it reminds us that we may use the tongue to bless and express happiness, dispel sorrow, remove despair, and spread cheer.” 

 Later the servant was asked to prepare the worst possible dish. Again, he prepared a plate of tongue, saying, “It’s the worst dish, for it reminds us that we may use the tongue to curse and break hearts, destroy reputations, create strife, and set families and nations at war.” 

 We may not have to eat tongue to grasp the story’s moral, but we may have to eat our own words a few more times before we will learn to think before we speak. As mentioned last week, one of the major themes in Proverbs is our speech. In chapter 10, Solomon contrasts the wise and the foolish, stressing that our speech sets us apart.

• Verse 6: Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
• Verse 8: The wise in heart will accept and obey commands, but the babbling fool will come to ruin.
• Verse 11: The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, and his words of wisdom are a source of blessing, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence and evil.
• Verse 19: When there are many words, transgression and offence are unavoidable, but he who controls his lips and keeps thoughtful silence is wise. 
• Verse 20: The tongue of the righteous is like precious silver; the heart of the wicked is worth little. 
• Verse 21: The lips of the righteous feed and guide many, but fools die for lack of understanding.
• Verse 31: The mouth of the righteous flows with skilful and godly wisdom, but the perverted tongue will be cut out. 
• Verse 32: The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked know what is perverted and twisted.

 Of all the above, I want to stress verse 19, where King Solomon reminds us that we will never say the wrong thing if we keep silent. In Ecclesiastes, one of Solomon’s other books, he speaks about a time to stay silent. If only we could understand that there are times when silence accomplishes more, like when we are tempted to say something critical, damaging, confidential, boastful, whiny, or patronizing. The consequences of such rash words can cause much pain, create unnecessary conflict, and even damage another’s reputation or future. But the opposite is also true, and the Bible tells us that we can accomplish much good with a kind, thoughtful, and wise word — blessing and building others up with encouraging words instead of tearing them down. 

 GRACE CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK: Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, reminds them not to let unwholesome words come out of their mouths, but only such speech as is good for building others up, according to the need and the occasion so that it will be a blessing to those who hear them speak. In his letter to the Colossians, he wrote: Let your speech at all times be gracious and pleasant, seasoned with salt, so that you will know how to answer each one who questions you. I have sadly not been big on scripture memorization, but these two verses are some of the few that I committed to memory many years ago and often re-visit. While I am far from perfect in this regard, it is my prayer that we can hold each other accountable and be more grace-awakened in our conversations this week.