The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of the body. Proverbs 18:8
Gossip is a sin that is too often ignored in the church. We think it is one of those things that is out there - and it will continue to be out there. Many see it almost as a victimless act - but the proverb today lets us know that even if everything looks OK on the outside of this sin - the inner workings of it are very dangerous. The "whisperer" is the gossip. The Hebrew word means one who gossips - but does so by murmuring and complaining. It actually means to excessively complain - and the word is used in passages that create serious relational problems between men - and between man and God. It is combined with other sins like complaining, criticism, faultfinding, and causing trouble. When God experienced these things with Israel in the wilderness in the book of Numbers, He had very strong reactions against it. No matter how we define gossip and a complaining, murmuring spirit - God defines it as very serious wickedness. He deals with this sin very severely. Why is God so opposed to this particular sin? It is because when someone hears gossip and complaining, it is like a dainty morsel to them. Think of gossip like you would your worst craving for a food you know you should not eat. For me this would be homemade chocolate chip cookies. I can resist these for a time - but the problem is that being my version of "dainty morsels" - my ability to resist is limited. Now, if someone set out broccoli puffs, the ability to resist is not a matter of power - it is a matter of not really wanting them in the first place. Thus, some sins are dangerous because of what they present as well as what they promote. Gossip is one of these. Consider your own response to someone who says, "Did you hear about so and so?" Imagine how difficult it is to resist statements like, "I can't believe what I heard the other day about this person." These kind o statements are very difficult to resist. Consider also the gossip magazines that are at the check-out lines at your local grocery store. Why are they so tempting - and why do they sell - even though many times what they say is either completely false - or an exaggeration of the truth. It is because the thought of knowing something about someone else that is supposed to be secret is something that is very difficult to resist. The other reason that this sin is so dangerous is that when we hear these things - Scritpure tells us that they go into the "innermost parts of the body." The literal Hebrew says that these statements go to the chambers of the belly. That is why they are dangerous and difficult to control. These statements of gossip are embedding themselves into the innermost part of our being. We tend to remember and focus on the complaints, the gripes, the criticism and fault-finding that others throw out at us. We look at the person against whom such criticism is leveled with a jaded eye after hearing these things. They color how we see them and how we respond to them - and usually we respond negatively after hearing such things. Unfortunately this is the case whether such things are true or false. That is why the very word used for whisperer here is identified with those who cause relational troubles between people. So how do we deal with this sin - in ourselves and in others. First of all we refuse to participate in gossip ourselves. One principle that is helpful is to use any information we have about others that could be the source of gossip and criticism as fuel for intercessory prayer rather than gossip. When we do this we will insure that we only eat our dainty morsels in the presence of God. There we take such information and use it in mercy - to pray for someone. We never use it for judgment - to injure them with words that we speak to others. Secondly we refuse to listen to gossip from others. Elsewhere in Proverbs we read that an angry countenance will send away a backbiting tongue. Two things I try to do personally when gossip comes my way is to first say that I would prefer not hearing it. When someone seems to want to persist, I then tell them I will listen - but only for the purpose of getting them together with the person with whom they have a problem within a couple of weeks. This has led to two things. It has led to people stopping the gossip from being spoken - and it when someone continues - it has led to me becoming a peacemaker between them and the person with whom they are offended. Oh, and as people have gossipped about how I deal with gossip - it has led to the gossips avoiding me like the plague. Don't let the dainty morsels of gossip lodge themselves into your spirit. Refuse to hear it - and if someone persists take the role of a peacemaker. You will be doing yourself a favor first of all - and secondly, you will be causing blessing to come to the body of Christ as you do your part to stop this sin in its tracks when it seeks to come into your fellowship and divide the saints.
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A fool's lips bring strife, And his mouth calls for blows. A fool's mouth is his ruin, And his lips are the snare of his soul. Proverbs 18:6-7
Our mouth can be a source of blessing or our downfall. For the fool the latter is more the case. His mouth is a means of trouble, strife, and eventually ruin. Let's try to learn from him today and avoid the things that happens when a fool is speaking. First we learn that a fool's lips bring strife. The idea here is that when a fool opens his lips to speak - along with his speaking comes strife. Evidently the fool is itching for a fight because that is what takes place after he speaks. His mouth calls for blows. The fool is the one who always has to have the last word - and that word is usually highly offensive to those who hear it. You watch the fool escalate his statements from offensive to provocative. He provokes those around him to the point where their anger is boiling over. He enrages people with the way he speaks - and the end of it all is blows - a fist fight. Rather than walk away from a growing tension, the fool throws gasoline on the fire and stokes it in every way he can. He does not have the ability to let an insult go - and just walk away. He has to one up the person who insulted him by offering an even greater insult. Actually, the fool usually is the one who starts all this - almost as if he or she is wanting the fight. At the core of all this is pride. The fool is filled with it. As I said earlier he can never let something go. Anything said requires his provocative response. He loves contention and controversy. He loves quarrelling and disputes. He thrives on hostilities and his words invite them constantly. A wise man knows how to calm people with his responses. The fool only inflames them. No wonder that in the end we watch him punching and being punched as the fight erupts. The next verse continues this thought. The fool's mouth is his ruin - and his lips are continually snaring his soul. The word ruin is the Hebrew word "mehittah" which means destruction, ruin, and terror. The root word for "mehittah" is "hatat" which means to be broken or afraid. The fool thinks he is bringing himself honor or at least respect when he won't take anything from anyone else. He thinks he is standing up for himself and that all others will know he is not someone with whom you want to tangle. But the opposite is true. His mouth is not bringing him respect, it is bringing him ruin. His mouth is a continuous source of terror for his life. He is constantly in danger because of his big mouth. He keeps opening it and getting himself in trouble. He says that he wants to stay out of trouble - at least that is what he tells the officer each new time he is arrested - at least that is what he says when he stands before the judge again and again - but his mouth is a snare for him. He speaks out for himself and in doing so sets another trap directly in front of himself to step into. We would consider a man the ultimate fool if he set a bear trap and then stepped into it - but that is what the fool does with his mouth all the time. Let me offer an example from real life. We read of sports figures who are constantly getting in trouble. It seems that they go from one altercation to another - in and out of a courtroom as if they were walking through a revolving door. Why does this happen? A lot of it happens because they have the mouth of a fool - and they use it in the company of other fools. Where do they go regularly? They go to bars and clubs. What happens to them - they run into other fools whose minds are dulled by alcohol. When they do some fool (either one at the bar or they themselves) opens their mouth in typical drunken arrogant fashion. Feeling "dissed" they then "bow-up" in pride and let their foolish mouth run free. Of course when you get two drunken fools like this together the escalation is not only going to happen - it is going to happen quickly. More foolish words are exchanged as they trash talk one another and, you got it, a fight breaks out betwen them. In recent years we've added to the fist fights - fools who carry guns with them into bars and other places - and someone becomes angry enough to shoot someone else. Then we get the court case where any normal person would be send away for their crime - but in the case of the rich, spoiled athlete - some deal is cut to let him continue to entertain us with his physical prowess. We never think about the damage done to our children who unfortunately are taught to idolize these fools - and who follow in their footsteps. Our mouths are incredibly powerful things. James says that our tongue's can set the course of our lives on fire - and that they can be set on fire by hell itself. That is why we need to learn things like humility, patience, and restraint. It is also why we need to be wise and to avoid the company of fools whose mouths continually snare their souls. Let your mouth be filled with the Word of God - with gracious and kind words - and with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let your mouth become the instrument that brings you blessing - not the tool which the devil, working unhindered through your flesh, uses to bring you to ruin. Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool, Much less are lying lips to a prince.
Proverbs 17:7 Here is a proverb we all wish our elected officials would read each time we have an election. How interesting an election it would be to watch all our our candidates speak the truth. It would be viewed as a joke to speak of those seeking election as truthful men. One joke I've heard asks, "How do you know when a politician is lying?" The answer is, "When his lips are moving." That give us all that we need to know that this proverb would be such a blessing if it were heeded by those who seek elective office. We would not expect excellent speech out of a fool. The very character and nature of the fool lets us know that we should not be expecting the most wise of statements from him. When I listen to most comediens, I'm not expecting much more than foolishness. I don't listen to them expecting to hear stirring oratory - or amazing statements that I will never forget. The fact that this person is a fool pretty much means that expecting anything but foolish and ignorant talk will only lead to disappointment. The second half of this proverb though helps us to see what God wants in our leaders. Lying lips are not fitting for a prince. Those who lead us ARE to have character and integrity. Too often we've listened to the lies that godless politicians tell us when they say that we should not expect them to lead by example. We are told that they don't have to have character - they don't have to speak the truth. They don't need to be faithful to their wives. They don't need to have any integrity. Yet the facts of Scripture tell us that it is not fitting for princes to lie. It is not a good thing to have leaders who have no integrity. We should expect them to speak the truth. Think with me for a moment and realize that we have a serious problem in our government today. We have leaders who are expected to lie to us. We shouldn't put up with this - but should demand that we have people of character and integrity in Washington. Imagine with me what it would be like to have truth spoken in our capitol. Imagine laws based on something other than people trying to be elected again - laws based on what is best and what is ultimately needed and true. This is why we should remove liars from our government and replace them with men and women of integrity. We need to see restored once again the idea that it is NOT FITTING for our leaders - our princes to lie! The lips of the wise spread knowledge, But the hearts of fools are not so. Proverbs 15:7
In life there are those we meet that just spread knowledge that is helpful to our souls. What a wonderful thing it is to meet such a men or woman. They are like an oasis in the midst of our wicked and perverse generation. It is a delight to talk to them - but even more of a delight to listen to what they share. This is the kind of person Proverbs speaks of today. Let's look more at what this today as we examine Proverbs 15:7. The lips put forth words that reveal what is in the heart. Here we see clearly that the wise have knowledge stored up in their hearts while the fool is devoid of it. The word for "spread" is very descriptive. It is an agricultural word that speaks of how a farmer goes into the field and scatters and disperses seed by casting it out on the ground. The wise man is taking every opportunity to cast out the seed so that it can bear a harvest later. Thus the wise man takes the opportunity to put out God's Word for a harvest that will come later in life. The wise man spreads knowledge. He spreads learning but his learning is not just head knowledge or uselessh information. He is spreading the kind of knowledge that leads to discernment, insight, and notion. Let's look at these three words for a moment to gain insight on what the wise man is spreading. When we have discernment we are learning to distinguish between two things that differ. We need to know the difference between good and evil, God's will and the world's mindset, the flesh and the Holy Spirit's work in our lives. The wise see things from God's perspective thus they can help us to learn the subtle and not so subtle differences between what is of God and what is not of God. They also help us gain insight. This word means exactly what it says, in-sight. It is seeing into things and realizing there is usually more to things that just their outward appearance. God says that man looks at the outside, but God looks at the heart. Therefore if we are going to see things as He does, we will need to see into the heart of a situation. The last word is notion. There's a word that we don't use much any more. Webster defines notion as an conception or impression of something. A notion can also be that conception or impression carried out to a theory or belief about a person, thing, etc. When we speak of the notions we receive from the knowledge of the wise man - these are not just the notions of an average person - but they are notions, beliefs, theories, conceptions and impressions gained from Scripture and from the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. To have a notion based on these things is to gain a way of looking at life - a theolry about people - about the world around you - but one gained from a biblical worldview. The proverb finishes with the fact that the heart of a fool is not like the wise man. He does not offer knowledge to others. He does not spread seed that will sprout and bring a godly harvest of righteousness and peace. His seed is filled with his own foolish notions, theories, and conceptions of life. Since these are governed by his own sinful nature - and by the world around him (remember and think a fallen world that rejects God's revelation and authority) they are useless. These things will bring about a harvest of foolishness and harm. How wonderful it is when we can surround ourselves with wise men and women. How marvelous it is that in our society and with our electronic capabilities we can expose ourselves to great men and women of God - actually hearing them speak - hearing them spread the seed of God's wisdom and Word to us. The truly wise person will seek to be in the range of their voices. The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, But the mouth of the upright will deliver them. Proverbs 12:6
The person who said, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me," never read this proverb. We have before us here the full destructive power of someone's words - or at least the intent with which they speak them. But thankfully, we also have the truth that the words of a godly man are also powerful. Those described as "wicked" in this passage are those who are guilty. The word means someone in the wrong - who is guilty of an criminal offense. In the context of Scripture this word most often refers to one guilty of breaking God's Law - and thus one who has no desire to obey Him or submit to His ways. We read that the words of such a man "lie in wait for blood." A wicked and sinful man's words are harmful to others. It is so important to remember context here because just one verse earlier we were told that the counsels of the wicked are deceitful. They are filled with lies. The wicked seek to destroy people with their words. And their counsel will be harmful if followed, since it is driven by the fallen nature of man. For just a moment I want to equate the words of the wicked with some more modern things. It is one thing to see a wicked man whose words are like a scorching fire as they are spoken. But it is another to consider the words of the wicked in other forms. Ever consider the words of the wicked that are written down for a book or a script? Far too many do not consider reading and going to see the words of the wicked portrayed on a big screen. They are unaware of the worldview that is being portrayed for them. They are unaware of the danger of this medium and how it lulls us to sleep when we should be alert and awake. Here the words of the wicked do lie in wait for blood. They come upon people unawwares because they do not ever consider how the ungodly seek to influence us through their various mediums of communication. To be perfectly honest, these forms of getting their "words" out are more effective than just speaking because of how ignorant the church is to their real agenda. A movie maker trying to go to a church and tell the people to be sexually immoral would be escorted out of the building quickly, but when he puts those ideas into a romantic comedy starring two unmarried people, the saints pay to go see it. Either way he gets his message out - but how more effective it is when dressed in the garb of modern entertainment. A man or woman would never think of going to a random house to peek through their bedroom window at their sex life, yet they think nothing of watching a love scene through the window of the local movie theater. The second part of this proverb tells us that the mouth of the upright will deliver them. This could be taken one of two ways. First it can mean that the righteous man - by speaking godly words - by speaking the Word of God - is delivered from the designs of the wicked. It can also refer to others to whom the righteous man speaks. He declares God's Word, and by doing so delivers those who are too easily duped by the words of the wicked. This reminds us of how vital it is for us to "hear God's words" every day. I say this not to encourage us to try to hear God's audible voice - but to remember that He has given us the Word of God - which are His words. If we will take the time to get into the presence of the Lord each and every day - with the purpose of hearing God speak His Word to us as we read the Bible - we will find great deliverance through this. Note here that we read that this is the mouth of the "upright." This word is the Hebrew word "yashar" and it means to be straight, just, and right. It refers to an ethical standard - and that standard is found in God's Word. When we learn to speak the truth to ourselves and to others, we will also see that deliverance is provided as God works in us to remind us of the truth - to warn us of danger - and to call us to holiness of life. An interesting dichotomy is presented here for us. The wicked want our blood - God our deliverance. The godless have a plot against our lives by their decietful counsel and wicked words. The upright speak what will deliver us. May God give us wisdom to see these things for what they are - a warning to us to hear God's Word - not just once a week, but every day as we meet with the Lord. A soothing tongue is a tree of life, But perversion in it crushes the spirit. Proverbs 15:4
How we speak to others can either offer them a healing balm or a crushing blow. As we've read in Proverbs, the tongue has amazing power as it speaks words. That is also the case here - where we once again have a choice to make - this time with the words that we speak. The first thing we read of here is that there is such a thing as a healing, soothing tongue. The word here means a tongue that offering healing, a remedy. It refers to a restorative cure, a renewal from an illness or sickness. More is learned when we see a comparison drawn up about this healing tongue. It is compared to a tree of life. There is an image that we see a lot in Scripture. The tree of life was in the garden of eden - it is also in heaven at the end of the age. What is most interesting is that the tree of life refers to Jesus Christ. In the truest way - He is the tree of life. So we have another interesting parallel. Those who use their tongue for healing - for the restorative cure are as a tree of life. Our tongues are to be used to spread the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. When we do this - we are being a tree of life. THE tree of life is Jesus Christ - and when we share the life-giving, soul-healing message of the gospel - we too are being a tree of life. Remember that Jesus said that He was the light of the world - and He also called us to be the light of the world as we share the truth with others. Here we have the parallel - He is the tree of life and we can be a tree of life as well, sharing the gospel which is the only source to heal and remedy man's sin. There is another way that our tongues can be used though. We are told that when we have perversion in our tongues a different we see different results when we speak. Perversion refers to a distorted way of speaking - a deceitfulness which is said to come from a perversity, not just in how we speak, but in our very life and character. This fits the biblical description of the ungodly man - whose mouth speaks out of the abundance of what fills his heart. Perverse lifestyle equals a perverse mouth. The problem here is that when this man speaks - it crushes the spirit. The word for crush here is "seber" and it means to cause destruction and ruin. It means a fracture or a breach. When a man speaks in this perverse way - it is like a fracture in a leg or a breach in a dam. It causes great ruin in people's lives. Whereas the godly man's tongue brings a healing and a remedy - the perverse man's tongue only causes more damage in our already damaged world. Think of the number of times someone spoke perversely to you - and the destruction that such talk brings. Some might think it prudish to avoid such talk - but if you've watched the coarsening of our culture in the last 30 years - you know that such perverse speech only weakens our society. Even worse is the perversity of those who deceive with their perverted speech. Lies only bring destruction in the end - and the way that it crushes a spirit when the truth is learned is devastating. Thus, the perverse man crushes people's spirits. We've seen this several times in the book of Proverbs. The mouth and the tongue are very powerful things. The words we speak really do matter. As was said at the beginning of this meditation - those words truly can make or break a person's spirit. Be wise and use your tongue as a tree of life. Speak healing words to others and guard your tongue so that it is not loosed in talk that will crush the spirit of those who listen. In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back, But the lips of the wise will protect them. Proverbs 14:3
Oh, how the mouth of the foolish boasts. This is seen again and again in our society. In fact, we now have a whole type of speech devoted to prideful talk. Trash-talking is popular today among those in sports. The dangerous thing is that this type of talk is slowly morphing its way into regular life as well. This will not bode well for our society - as pride is never a good thing among the conversations of men. Biblically there is a great picture of this very verse. When David fought the Philistine champion, Goliath, there was some serious "trash-talking" going on from Goliath. He laughed at David and disdained him publically in front of all the troops that day. HE bellowed that he would give little David to the birds of the air when he killed him. You can hear this boast echoing through the valley just as 40 previous boasts had done for the 40 days he had been bragging about his pwoer and abilities. In his mouth was a rod for his back. The literal translation of this phrase is "rod of pride." Interesting that the Hebrew language would have such a phrase. But it only shows the way that pride does give God a rod which He will use upon our backs to discipline us for our arrogance. Goliath's boasts ceased - because he lost his head - literally. He thought he could destroy David with little effort. In the end - his arrogant words were a rod of pride that struck him as a rock sunk into his forehead. As the sword severed his neck - Goliah - once a hero and champion - would forever be known for his defeat at the hands of a ruddy little shepherd with a sling, stone, and a trust in the living God. The wise have lips that protect them. They are careful about what they say - and how they say it. The old WWII phrase "loose lips, sink ships," is in order for the wise man. Far too many have not watched what they say and have paid for it dearly. David is a good example in this story as well. He did not go out and make empty boasts. He did not try to one-up Goliath at his "trash-talking" game. He simply referred to his God and reminded Goliath that though he came with superior "human" firepower - David relied upon an omnipotent God to win the day. David's words were far from proud and arrogant. They were humble words that relied upon Jehovah God for strength. In the end, David's words protected him from not only arrogance and presumption - but also from Goliath's attack. We need to be wise - and watch what we say. It is protection for us to stay as close to what the Scriptures tell us as possible. Our protection is given to us by a God who loves to act strongly on behalf of those who look to Him. Rather than have our words be the very whip that disciplines us - they become a shield that keeps us from harm. Wisdom is too exalted for a fool, He does not open his mouth in the gate. Proverbs 24:7
Wisdom is costly - and it is something that requires commitment to have in our lives. Those who have gained any wisdom knows this. Wisdom requires an investment of time and effort. One who desires wisdom must gather wisdom by reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating upon God's Word. One who desires wisdom also will desire to be in the presence of God and godly men who will speak wisdom as they listen intently. Wisdom also requires an investment of life or living. One who has wisdom - true wisdom - lives it out each and every day. The wise man bucks the world when the world tells him to go his own way. The wise man does not run with the worldly crowd when the run headlong into a pursuit of their own lusts and desires. The wise man will make difficult choices that will of necessity require him to die to self. He will walk contrary to the fools who gather and approve each others foolishness. He will speak and live wisdom when it is in season - but more importantly when it is not. This is why wisdom is too high for the fool. He will not open his mouth in the gate. The gate was the place of decision making - the place where the elders gathered and offered their wisdom for the good of the city. Blessed is that land - that city whose gate is filled with men of wisdom. Blessed are they because the fool will not open his mouth there - for the very reason that wisdom prevails in that place. Very unfortunate is that city - that state - that people who have surrounded themselves first with their own foolishness - and ultimately with fools who sit in the gate. Theirs will be a land that multiplies foolishness - and pays for it dearly in their captivity to their own lusts and desires - and in the future - captivity to others who exploit their foolishness to gain the ascendency over them. It is better for us that the fools of our society not have the freedom to open their mouths in the gate -and that foolishness is seen for exactly what it is - foolish. Keil and Delitzsch make a wonderful comment about this when they say, "Wisdom is to the fool too high; the way to wisdom is to him too long and too steep, the price too costly." For this reason the fool is unwilling to make the climb, pay the price, or make the sacrifice necessary to gain wisdom. The wise man does not see the cost - but the jewel. He does not see the climb - but the panoramic view. He does not see the sacrifice - but the victory in the end. Wisdom is indeed exalted, high, and pricey - but is worth every penny, every sacifice, and every labor to attain. Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man, But any fool will quarrel. Proverbs 20:3
Fighting, arguing, quarreling are addressed in this proverb for today. There are many who think that quarreling is fine - even a sign that a person will stick up for themselves. But according to this proverb - any fool will quarrel. The truly wise man is the one who keeps away from strife. He is the man who knows how to walk away from a fight. He knows when to keep his mouth shut - knowing that saying things at the wrong time can cause a situation to escalate quickly. There are probably men and women who wind up in jail every weekend because they do not know how to walk away from a conflict. They wade into it - either speaking strife-causing statements or going further by swinging fists at someone else. This is a sure sign you are dealing with a fool. The fool thinks that he has to answer everything - he has to put down anyone who threatens him. Thus he is constantly arguing and fighting with others. This gains him great honor - the best seat in the jail cell or the most honored picture among the mug shots. The honorable thing to do is to seek to keep away from strife. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that the peacemakers were the ones blessed - not those who can argue the best. It is not those who encourage and enter into strife that will bring peace - it is those who do their best to keep away from strife that fulfill this role. The truly wise man is the one who does not need to quarrel. He speaks the truth in love - he speaks it forcefully - but when things degenerate into strife and quarreling - he extricates himself from such a discussion quickly. Quarreling has the idea of two people fighting over something to make it so. The believer does not have to enter into a quarrel because there is no need to quarrel over his point. When the believer speaks the truth - the Scriptures - he is standing on very firm - very solid ground. He has no need to quarrel over the matter. When the Word of God speaks something, it is the truth. One can argue against it - but all such arguing is pointless. God has spoken and thus the truth has been given. Those who want to quarrel over such matters actually weaken the biblical argument (if that were possible). Their quarreling only demonstrates that they think they have to win in the realm of human wisdom. The godly man - the wise man speaks God's Word and allows the authority of God Himself to bring it to bear on a man's heart. Thus the wise man can step away from a quarrel after speaking the truth. It is an honor for him to do so - and it shows he truly seeks to honor the Word of God. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, But the mouth of fools spouts folly. Proverbs 15:2
We come to another passage dealing with the abuse of the tongue - or the abuse of how we speak to others. It is an interesting fact that the Bible says much more about the abuse of the tongue than it does the abuse of alcohol or drugs. By saying this I am not condoning either of those two things, because they are very destructive. But I would venture to say that the abuse of the tongue and how it damages people every day dwarfs the evils of these other two things easily. And whereas we have many speaking of the evil of the other two things - very few are crusading for people to use their tongues to build others up rather than tear them down. The proverb instructs us that the tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable. What a loaded statement this is. Sometimes people reject the knowledge that is shared not because the knowledge itself is offensive - but because the way it is shared is offensive. There are also those who can share pretty offensive things - yet are received well because of the wisdom with which they share them. When we come to people with a know-it-all attitude or a holier-than-thou spirit they will reject anything we have to say. That is why wisdom not only gives us knowledge itself - but also will counsel us on how to share it. Two other proverbs come to mind to illustrate this. One says that more flies are caught with honey than with vinegar. This proverb tells us that if we come with a sweet spirit we will catch more people with what we say. No one that I know is interested in drinking a cup of vinegar. In a similar way people will not listen to us if our spirit is bitter like vinegar. The second proverb that instructs us is actually wisdom Solomon shares in Ecclesiastes. Solomon tells us that there is a time and a season for everything. Among these seasons is the time to speak and the time to be quiet. Sometimes the best wisdom for our knowledge we want to share is to wait for a more opportune moment. The second half of this proverb lets us know that the mouth of fools spout folly. Whereas the wise are wanting to know the most profitable way to share knowledge - the fool has no such concern. That is because the fool is too busy spouting out his folly. The word folly means perversity, foolishness, silliness, and moral deficiency. The Word comes from either a word that means to be thick-brained or stupid. Rather than sharing knowledge with others, the fool is speaking the silliness of his own thinking. He is morally deficient and thus his tongue is only uttering disgusting and perverse statements. Hang around him long enough and you will be as filled with stupid and senseless knowledge as he is. That is why over and over again we are counselled to leave the presence of a fool - and that is especially the case when he is running his mouth. It is much better to spend our time considering how best to share beneficial knowledge with others than in the company of folly-spouting fools. |
Proverb a DayEach day, we'll take a look at a verse from the chapter of Proverbs for the day. Our hope is to gain wisdom each day - and from that wisdom - to have understanding to make godly decisions in the throes of everyday life. Thank you for visiting our website! Everything on this site is offered for free. If, however, you would like to make a donation to help pay for its continued presence on the internet, you can do that by clicking here. The only thing we ask is that you give first to the local church you attend. Thank you!
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