Category: Mouth

The Excellent Wife, day 6 - Her Speaking and Teaching - Proverbs 31:26

3/26/2013

Proverbs 31:26 She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

The excellent wife is a doer, which we have seen throughout this entire portrait. But we learn in verse 26 that she is also a teacher - and one whose words are a blessing to all those who hear them. Let's take a look at the two pictures that are painted for us, describing this aspect of the excellent wife.

First we see that she speaks wisdom. The picture that is painted for us is a woman who when she sees the need of breaking silence with her mouth - speaks and wisdom pours from her. The phrase "opens her mouth," is a Hebraism meaning what is under her tongue or ready to proceed from her mouth. It has the idea that as soon as her mouth opens to speak - wisdom pours forth from it. The Jewish scholars believed that this woman's heart was so filled with this wisdom from God that the moment she opened her mouth it naturally flowed from it. This is the kind of woman you want to be around when she did speak. She was the female embodiment of E.F. Hutton - who when she speaks - you should listen!

The second thing we learn about her is that "the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." There are two ways of reading this - and honestly I think either is correct. The first way would be to say that she teaches of kindness to others. The word for kindness here is the Hebrew word "chesed." This word is the one that is closest to the New Testament concept of agape love that we have in the Old Testament. The word meant both goodness and kindness - and referred to God's covenant love. She taught of God's great covenant love. She taught of a God who loved His people, showing them His kindness and His goodness to them. But the second way of seeing this is that she was loving as she taught. The reason I feel that either is applicable is that they compliment each other so well. One who teaches of God's love would, of course, be one who showed it as well even as she taught.

The excellent wife is not just a worker - but a lover - and one who loves as God Himself does. She speaks wisdom and teaches of love. These are two wonderful aspects of God that every family member and especially the children need to learn. That is why the excellent wife is so ready to speak of such things whenever she opens her mouth. She is a source of blessing therefore not only in all that she does for this family - but also in all she speaks and teaches as well.

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Think Before You Speak - Proverbs 29:20

12/5/2012

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Proverbs 29:20 Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

There is a saying that is used to help people see that they need to think before they do something. That phrase is, "Look before you leap." After reading this proverb I think there should be a second phrase developed and used to help us keep from sticking our foot in our mouth - saying things that hurt others and damage our testimony. That phrase is, "Think before you speak!"

There is great wisdom in taking a moment to think about what you are going to say. It may slow you down in communicating, but in the end it will keep you from saying things that you will regret later. Proverbs 10:19 tells us, "When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but a wise man restrains his words." It won't hurt us to take a moment to think about what we are about to say - it will actually bless us - and keep us from sin. It might be helpful on a test to write down the first answer that comes to our mind - but it is usually not helpful to speak the first thing that comes into our heads. I know many times in my life that doing that would have seriously damaged relationships.

The wise thing to say is the thing we have contemplated or thought about. When we are hasty in our words we will be careless in them as well. That can lead to hurtful words being spoken. It is wise for us to remember that we are fallen, sinful men and women. It is also wise for us to remember that we can speak out of our flesh or out of God's Spirit. Let me quote Galatians 5 to give you an idea of what will come from each of these two sources.

The flesh will yield these things. "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." There is a list we want to avoid at all costs. These are the things that damage and possibly even end relationships. Our mouths do not need to speak from the flesh. Here is why we do not want to be hasty in our words. Stop and consider the source - and if it resembles these kinds of words - don't say anything. This is even more important when we are angry or we feel hurt or misunderstood. Better to take our time communicating before we speak in these circumstances. It may even be wise to ask clarifying questions like, "What did you mean when you said this?" Often we receive slight where slight was not meant to be communicated to us. Thinking before we speak will allow us to step back and clarify what we heard before we decide to respond to it.

Speaking out of the Spirit involves yielding ourselves to the Holy Spirit. It means stopping and listening to the counsel of the Spirit as He guides us through every situation we face. Here is what we can expect to come out of our mouths when we do this. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." Two benefits from stopping and listening to the Holy Spirit will be first, the much better words that will come from us - words of love and the other wonderful characteristics that are mentioned here. But a second benefit will also be the way our "passions and desires" will be crucified as we do not yield to the flesh, but walk in the Spirit.

I am what is called a "verbal processor," which means I do better when I can talk through things. That comes with some pretty dangerous territory, because if I do this with someone I can say some pretty stupid things before I reason through my feelings and my attitudes. That is why God has greatly encouraged me to verbally process with Him - and not so much with everyone else. David verbally processed with God often in the Psalms. It is why some of them seem to say pretty rough things at first - but end in praising God and David submitting himself to God. The Lord can handle this where humans cannot. So, if you need to talk - talk to God - about your difficult things - about everything. But be careful to "think before you speak" with men. Solomon tells us that if we don't do this - there is more hope for a fool than for us. That is a pretty tough thing to face - but then again - I've faced some pretty difficult things because I was too foolish to "think before I speak."

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The Need of Mouth Ninjas - Proverbs 21:23

7/18/2012

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He who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles. Proverbs 21:23

All of us can identify with a situation where we said something that got us in trouble. We let a comment slip or we say something before seriously thinking about what we were about to say. Regardless of what was said - it ended in trouble - in someone's feelings being hurt. Extreme situations can land us in a doghouse that is very difficult to get out of . . . all because we were not cautious enough about the things that we said.

Today's proverb tells us to guard our mouth and our tongue. The word used for guard is a strong word meaning to set a watch guard or a military sentry over our mouth and our tongue. We are not just casually watching what we say - we are placing well-armed guards over our mouths to make sure that they do not run off on their own. Considering that Scripture tells us that the power of death and life are in our words - that James tells us that our words are like a fire and that they can be set our very lives on fire - it is a wise thing to put some guards there. After re-reading this last sentence I'd set some ninjas aided by a few Navy Seals there. I remember an old Last Days Newsletter written by Keith Green that had a picture of machine gun toting commandos peering over the molars in a person's mouth. That is the kind of watchfulness we need to have when it comes to our mouths and our tongues.

The one who does not guard his tongue and mouth will face troubles. Think about the last time your mouth got you in trouble. Imagine again the kind of difficulty it caused you emotionally. Try to remember how your soul ached as you realized you had once again inserted your foot in your mouth and swallowed it up to your kneecap. The wisdom of God warns that our soul will have troubles. That is our mind, will, and emotions - and most likely all three will face difficulties when we speak apart from God's wisdom. I've known of situations that lasted only a few hours - but others that are still going years and even decades later. A wise man learns from such things and holds his tongue. He is wise and shuts his mouth - contemplating the things he is about to say. To do otherwise is to court problems that can range from a few awkward moments to a life altering relational disaster.

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A Witness of Belial - Proverbs 19:28

5/29/2012

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A rascally witness makes a mockery of justice, And the mouth of the wicked spreads iniquity. Proverbs 19:28

Justice is a major concept throughout the book of Proverbs. It should also be a major concern of any society that wants to endure. When a people know that there is justice, there is peace and stability. When people begin to suspect that justice is lost - there is unrest, discontent, and even rioting. Therefore, the process of justice, which always involves witnesses, is vitally important.

The "rascally witness" is actually a worthless man who has no qualms about distorting his testimony or lying on the witness stand. The word here is "belial" and it refers to someone who is worthless because they have no moral fiber. They are good for nothing, are often seen as perjurers, and are among those who live in constant rebellion to the king or the government. This makes them unfit to serve as a witness to anything other than their own wickedness and sin. When this kind of man is on the stand - there is a complete mockery of justice. This godless man mocks and derides the entire idea of justice. He will make his own justice and his own judgments - often with no reference to justice or true righteousness.

We are also told that the mouth of the wicked spreads iniquity. The actual word for "spreads" here means to swallow something or engulf it. What the wicked man does is swallow iniquity. He enjoys sin and iniquity like the average person does delicious dish made for him. He considers sin and evil something to be consumed - not something to be avoided. when there is wickedness to swallow down - he swallows it wholeheartedly.

One other thing about this lying, false witness is his name throughout history. Here we have the phrase "a witness of belial," meaning a worthless witness - but it also means a witness of the devil. World history has had many of the "sons of belial" and many of his witnesses as well. Muhammed, Joseph Smith, Karl Marrx, and Adoph Hitler are only a few of these sons of belial. They have borne false witness of God - and have led many thousands into religious and political error. But there is one last son of Belial that will top all the others. In Revelation 13 we see the ultimate "false witness" rise up looking like a lamb - yet speaking like a dragon. He speaks powerful lies and deceives the world promoting the Beast and the Antichrist in the last days. He is the ultimate liar - will mock justice in a way that none have done in all history - and will spread iniquity, sin, misery, and death like no other. This is why a title like "witness of belial" is one we should shrink back in horror at receiving. It is also why we want to be known as people of truth - and ultimately people of THE truth of the gospel. Then we will not be known for spreading iniquity, but rather spreading righteousness. We will spread the ultimate story of God's justice at the cross - and the life that it gives to those who receive it.

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Are You Using Your Tongue for Death or for Life? Proverbs 18:21

5/11/2012

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Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.  Proverbs 18:21

What is the most powerful part of the human body? Contrary to what some may think, the tongue is considered the most powerful part of the human body according to what we see written in the Scriptures. Here we read that it has the power of death and life.  Elsewhere we see that the words that come from it can injure like the thrusts of a sword. James has what is probably the most powerful commentary on the power of the tongue in chapter three of his letter.

"So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison." (James 3:5-8)

James warns us of the very powerful, and potentially very destructive power of the tongue. We can bless or curse with it. A carelessly spoken word like a carelessly thrown match can set an entire forest on fire. But the word can set a life - and indeed a whole group of lives on fire with gossip and slander. Therefore we would be very wise in being very careful with how we let our tongue's loose in the world. It would also be wise of us to heed the admonition given by Paul to the Ephesians when he said, "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear." (Ephesians 4:29)

Those who love this power of the tongue, are warned that they will eat of its fruit. Consider the man who destroys others with his words. He writes and speaks so as to destroy his political opponents - and loves the power that this brings to him. He does so until the day another more silver-tongued than him uses this same power to dismember him in the public eye. The power of the tongue is intoxicating - but it is also explosive and very dangerous if not used under the direction of Holy Spirit. But when used in this way - the tongue is not something whcih brings death - but rather a tool in God's hand to bring life and life abundantly!

The tongue is also the instrument in God's hands to bring the gospel to others. "How blessed are the feet of those who bring good news," is the delightful refrain for those who speak forth the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our tongues can share the gospel with others and be that aroma of life to life as they are born again by the power and mercies of God. We have the glorious opportunity to speak life every day! So, as we look at this proverb may we both fear and rejoice - may we be both overjoyed and cautious - may we both be silent and vociferous. May we see the destructive power of the tongue and shun it completely - and - may we see the life-giving power of the tongue and joyeously share the good news with total abandon.

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Mouth-fruit That Satisfies a Man's Stomach Proverbs 18:20

5/10/2012

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With the fruit of a man's mouth his stomach will be satisfied; He will be satisfied with the product of his lips. Proverbs 18:20

Here we have a proverb that mixes metaphors. As a result it could be confusing to some. But a closer examination gives us a wonderful instruction about what our mouths and words bring to us. The mixed metaphors walk between what is coming out of our mouths and lips - and what we receive as a result.

Much of our struggle to understand this passage is solved when we look at the Hebrew concept of the belly or stomach. This word is used early in this proverb, "With the fruit of a man's mouth his stomach will be satisfied." The word for "stomach" is "beten" which means belly, womb, stomach - but also was used figuratively of the inmost part of man, the place where thoughts were treasured - or - where the inner spiritual self was expressed or satisfied. In Job 32:17-20 Elihu spoke like this. He said, "I too will answer my share, I also will tell my opinion. "For I am full of words; The spirit within me constrains me. "Behold, my belly is like unvented wine, Like new wineskins it is about to burst. "Let me speak that I may get relief; Let me open my lips and answer." Note how Elihu spoke of his belly as he would his heart and spirit. The only thing that gave him relief was to speak and open his lips with an answer to all he heard from Job and his three friends. This is what Solomon speaks of as he says that from the fruit of a man's mouth his stomach will be satisfied. Here the stomach refers to the inner workings of his inner spiritual life.

What is said here is that how we speak to others will in great measure help determine what we ourselves are going to be receiving. This is not name it and claim it talk - saying that whatever we say in God's name we can have - claiming it all from Him. This instead speaks of a way that we are either blessed or not by how we speak to others. Speak kindness and lovingly toward others and you will find that what you will receive is reciprocal kindness and love. You will be satisified with what comes back upon you. Speak graciously toward those around you - and graciousness will most likely be what you receive. But if you speak out bitter, resentful, and hurtful words - do not be shocked to see that others will speak in a like manner to you.

Our mouths can pave the road of our lives with smooth pavement - or with large rocks. It all depends on how we speak. Speak kindly - and most often those around you will love you and appreciate what you say and how you live. Speak in an ungodly fashion, with harsh, unkind words - and you will have spiritual heartburn. Others will react badly at your evil words and will grant you what you've given to them. Much of the reaction of others to what we say can be gauged by how we say it. Some can even bring bad news - yet because of the spirit in which it is brought the recipient does not react badly. Come with harshness and you will be resented or even cursed by the one who has received it.

Remember that it is out of the abundance of our heart that our mouth speaks. Therefore guard your heart closely - because it is the gate-keeper of your mouth. If you wait to speak and think first - you will speak words that are far less incindiary. They will also be words that are treasured by those who hear them. May God always remind us that the right kind of words - spoken in the right spirit - offered for the right motives - will bless others - and will be the souce of much joy. May we become men and women of such wisdom and such words.

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What Kind of Mouth Wins the World? Proverbs 17:20

3/30/2012

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He who has a crooked mind finds no good, And he who is perverted in his language falls into evil. Proverbs 17:20

If you know someone with a perverted mouth - it is because it flows from a morally bankrupt mind. Even as I reread this statement, something within me just recoils from such a strong statement as this - and yet - when we truly understand what God is saying here in Proverbs - that is exactly what is being communicated.

The first thing we see here is a man with a "crooked mind." The word for "crooked" is the Hebrew word "iqqesh" and it means to be perverse, twisted, and crooked. The idea is that of someone who has a moral, religous, and social perversion by which their mind works. They do not think thoughts that are aligned with decent morals. They despise not just morals - but also religion and any kind of social contract by which men seek to live together in a decent fashion. They highly despise the idea of morals that are the result of religious principle. They hate such things - seeing themselves as free moral agents to determine whatever morals or lack of them they want. The consequences of such moral mental suicide is that they cannot find any good. This really is not that shocking since they would deny the existance of any kind of universal good or absolute truth. To them truth is relative to the situation - and since they hate moral goodness - it is not difficult to see that they revel in the evil and the godless things of the world - and tend to shy away from anything else. Thus - of course they would reject the good - and not be able to find any in society.

The second thing we see is a man who is perverted in his language. Perverted language is language that seeks to throw down, overturn, destroy, and wander from accepted biblical norms of how we should speak. There is a lot of disagreement on what this means in today's society. We've slowly grown to be the first society historically in the church to embrace cursing from the pulpit. The excuse that is so often used is that of saying that words are just words - we are the ones that make them curse words - or at least bad ones. What I find a little disingenuous about all this is that even the world system used to have a set of words that they would not allow on television and movies. It has only been over the past couple of generations that these accepted norms have been overturned in favor of the current "delightful" fare that we've embraced in our day. As you can tell, I am of the opinion that such language is totally unacceptable not just for use in the pulpit - but for use in every day life. It seems to me that as our society has retreated from God - we've also retreated from being circumspect about the things we say. To confess my own sins - I've watched my own speech begin to be down-graded, if you will. The Holy Spirit is in the process of encouraging (and often rebuking) me as He seeks to have me live above the moral cesspool of the accepted speech of my society.

The danger here is that we are warned that such speech DOES come from a mind that is being twisted away from the truth. The other danger is that when we do this we are warned that we "fall into evil." Whenever the church thinks it can reach the world by aping the world's behavior - we watch the opposite happen. First, we do not reach the world - but oh, how the world "reaches" us. We watch the same value systems - which might better be called "value-less" systems - that are in the world truly invade the church. When we do not watch our mouths - we will allow a kind of reverse-infection to occur in our hearts. The word used for mind in the first part of this verse actually means, "heart." Therefore when we do not watch our mouths - it is evidence that our hearts have been captured as well.

Jesus said that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Therefore is it too strident a thing to say that if we have a perverse mouth - it arises out of a twisted and deceived mind? Our mouths simply reveal what is in our hearts. It would be to our benefit to watch our mouths and be careful what is allowed to come forth from them. In the end - we might look more "appetizing" the world if we do - but could that be simply because we lose the distinction of speaking in a holy manner that embraces purity and righteousness.

Let me say one last thing though - unless some get the idea that I think we are to be the public censure of all that is unacceptable speech-wise. We are called to be salt and light. That means we embrace holiness - not as a means of beating the lost to death - but as a means to be different and to be a thirst-creator in our world. The lost WILL become thirsty for what we ARE - and therefore will want the One who has changed us. Our purpose is to allow holiness to be revealed in our lives as a thirst-agent. We are not to use holiness as something to shame the lost into feigned obedience to God. That will do more to harm the gospel than reveal it. So . . . my admonition to you from Scripture is to have a mouth that is radically different than the world. Let your mouth not be filled with perversion - and your heart filled with deception and twisted morals. Instead let it be filled with Your Lord - who, by the way, did not descend into such language anywhwere in the gospels. He simply lived for God - spoke for Him - and although rejected by some - was embraced by many who saw His actions - His words - and His heart - and became incredibly thirsty for real holiness. May God make us those same things in our generation.

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Why "Ole Thumper" Needs to Teach Your Mouth a Thing or Two! Proverbs 16:23

2/29/2012

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The heart of the wise instructs his mouth And adds persuasiveness to his lips. Proverbs 16:23

One of the maladies that I face in my life is that I engage my mouth too often without fully engaging my mind as to what I am going to say. That particular malady results in another and that is that I find my foot often lodged in my mouth shortly after the first malady manifests itself. Needless to say today's proverb was eye-opening to say the least. I learned that what truly needs to be engaged before I speak is my heart - which is to be what instructs my mouth before it engages in saying what "ought" to be said.

The heart of a wise man instructs his mouth what to say. Some might say that if this were the case all we would say is, "thump, thump" in a rythmic fashion. (Oops, there I go again!) But the Hebrew concept of the heart is a wondeful one. The heart refers to the immaterial inner self - or what the Holy Spirit would refer to as man's spirit. This is considered by the Hebrew mind to be our inner nature - the workings of our mind as it is instructed by the Holy Spirit using as His primary text, the Word of God. Thus the mouth is instructed by none other than the Holy Spirit Himself - who takes the Word and uses it to instruct us, through our spirit, so that our mind is taught. This working then brings to our mind things that should be filtered out - or in some cases filtered in.

Scripture, for example, instructs us in Colossians 4:6, "Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person." What a great instruction for our mouths. Therefore, as the Spirit does this He asks us, "Hey Bubba (sorry, I live in Arkansas and this is pretty effective here), is what you are going to say gracious? Does it have a little 'salt of the gospel' in it - so that it will make whoever is hearing you thirsty for God - and the gospel?" Something else the Spirit of God might ask is this, "Yo Bubbba, did you think about what this person truly and lovingly NEEDS - or - are you just spouting off what you want to say to them?" These are things that will truly alter how you speak - because in all honesty - not even our words belong to us. We were bought with a price - therefore we are to glorify God with our bodies - which, by the way, includes our mouths!

Here is another way our mouth can be instructed by the wisdom of the Spirit of God. He may choose to remind us of Ephesians 4:29 which says, "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear." So this time the Spirit of God may chime in with something like this. "Dude (this is when I am in California), is what you are going to say wholesome, or does it smell like rotten fruit or nasty-smelling fish! Are you going to build up your friend - or just confirm him in the same worldly ways that his other friends speak? Like, you totally need to think about what he NEEDS right now! Have you even heard what HE'S been saying at a heart level in this conversation and others? Don't be a total bogart man - give him some grace - some love brother - some real helpful, encouraging, gospel-smelling stuff!"

Now, apart from the regionalization of all this in my language - there are a few VERY important things we can learn from just these two examples. We learn how the Scriptures would be used by the Holy Spirit to instruct our mouths. First, note that in both examples the Lord wants to instruct us to think of others as we open our mouths. Second, note as well in both examples that the Lord wants us to have our words abound with grace as we speak. Lastly, there is either stated or implied that our words are to be used to build others up - not tear them down. You can take these three things to the verbal-bank! We ought to write them on the inside of our mouths, so to speak, so that we are reminded that any word that proceeds out of them should be - 1) others-minded, 2) filled with grace and the gospel, and 3) encouraging! Can you imagine the difference that would make in a matter of days in the things we say!?

The rest of today's proverb reminds us that when we do this - our hearts will help us to have additional "persuasiveness" added to everything we say. I have known people like this in my life - and they are amazing people. They are the E.F. Hutton's of the spiritual world - and in many ways the world in general. When they speak - people listen! The amazing thing is that this is not because they have "earth-shaking" things to say every time they open their mouths. It is more because you will be blessed and uplifted whenever they speak! You want to hear what they say - because it nourishes your very soul to hear it.

Precious ones . . . let us not be people whose mouths are instructed by our culture - or by our own selfish motives - or by the evil one who would love to use our mouths for his own destructive purposes. Let us be people of the grace-filled, love-overflowing, life-encouraging, Spirit-instructed mouth! Let us embrace hearing what our hearts have to say about what words we should use. And as we listen to this soul-nourishing instruction for our mouths - may we submit our hearts to be ruled and governed by the Holy Spirit of God. May His tutelage dominate our conversations, our statements, and our answers so that others may be blessed - made thirsty for the God who speaks through us - and hungry for the same gospel grace that has changed our hearts, which is the very reason that our conversation is so different!

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Saying Just the Right Thing at Just the Right Time! Proverbs 15:23

2/7/2012

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A man has joy in an apt answer, And how delightful is a timely word! Proverbs 15:23

Don't you love it when you say the right thing - in the right way - at just the right time? That is what our proverb is about today. It is about being wise enough to know when to speak - and not only that - but what to speak when you have the opportunity.

The beginning of this proverb starts with a Hebraism about the mouth. There is joy in having an answer of the mouth, which the way that this Hebraism would read. It has to do with the ability to speak well - or in this case to speak what helps others. When speaking of Moses' complaint to God about his inability to speak, this similar Hebraism is used. Moses complained to God that he had a "heavy mouth." This meant that he stuttered and stammered when he spoke. This speech problem made Moses think he could not be a spokesman for God. God gave him Aaron to speak for him, but we see plainly that Moses did not struggle to speak when the Spirit of God moved upon him to confront Pharaoh. The mouth of the man here in proverbs knows no such problem. He brings joy to others as they here the "answer of his mouth," which means the perfect thing to say in the moment. Whether this is a word of teaching, reproof, correction, or training in righteousness - the best word to speak is one that is in agreement with God's Word on the matter.

The prophet Nathan spoke the perfect word to David to bring him to repentance over his adultery and cover-up of his sin. Joshua spoke the perfect word to the people of Israel as they needed to decide whether they would serve the Lord. David spoke the perfect word to Goliath to remind him that God was going to give David victory because of Goliath's mocking of God. Daniel had the perfect words to speak to Nebuchadnezzar when he needed his dream interpretted. Jesus always had the perfect word to speak to detractors, to those who were hungry for his Word, and to those who came to Him needy and longing for God's grace and healing.

A timely word is delightful - both to the one who speaks it and to the one who receives it. There are so many who come to church hurting who need to hear such words. They long for a word of encouragement - for someone to lift them up. Others who are complacent and full of themselves need rebuke. Others still may need exhortation because they are timid about following the Lord radically. And a few who are long term church members, but who do not know Christ, need someone to love them by sharing the gospel with them so they can move from just being religious - to being Christians. No matter what the need, God will give us these "answers of the mouth." He will do so as we surrender to Him and desire far more to speak the truth in love - than just to engage in small talk.

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Speaking so as to Wound or to Heal? Proverbs 12:18

11/19/2011

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There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, But the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18

Have you ever had someone say something to you that was so cutting that it felt like a sword stabbing you in the heart? Unfortunately, those moments happen - and God warns us about them. Today's proverb reminds us that our words can cut deeply when we speak out of anger or resentment - and do so rashly without thinking about what we are about to say.

Solomon warns his son that there are those who will speak out of the wrong kind of passion. They speak in anger and rage. They speak rashly - and therefore do not consider what their words are about to do to the one who is hearing them. Just about everyone in our world has had one of those moments. We speak out of anger to a spouse and cut them deeply to the heart. We speak out of frustration to a child and crush their spirit. We speak out of resentment to a co-worker and damage our relationship with them. Whatever the situation, the key here is not to speak "rashly." This word means to speak thoughtlessly. The fact is that they just do not take the time to think about what they are saying - and to do so with a graciousness that considers the other person's feelings. Therefore their words are foolish and said flippantly. They usually do not know the damage they are causing till later - and sometimes they don't get it at all. We cannot get our words back once we speak them - therefore we should send out our words with some thought before speaking them. James warned in the New Testament that we should be "slow to speak." Following such wisdom will keep us from broken relationships and from having to apologize for saying something stupid.

There are also those whose tongue bring healing. One damages while the other heals. Their statements can comfort those who have been hurt. They can counsel people to do what is necessary to remedy bad choices, bringing spiritual healing to their lives. There is also another way they can speak - and that is with the Scriptures - which can heal a breach between men - but more importantly can heal THE BREACH between man and God. Such words are spoken of elsewhere in Proverbs as apples of gold set in settings of silver - for they are words spoken in a right situation.

One last thing about this particular proverb - and it comes from a personal experience of reading the Scriptures in my quiet time. I remember reading this particular proverb and thinking that I do not want to use my tongue like a fool swinging a sword blindly. But I also began to grieve - thinking that I wished that there was something more powerful than a human tongue. Then the Holy Spirit brought to mind a Scripture that I had memorized. Hebrews 4:12 says that the Word of God is sharper than any double-edged sword. It was then that I realized that although human words can cut us - nothing is as sharp as the Word of God. And whereas the careless words of the fool may damage - God uses His Word to cut in a way that brings healing. Hosea speaks of this in chapter six of his prophecy. God was going to use His word upon His people - and it would wound them. But it would be the kind of wounding that would be bandaged and healed later. It was like the wound of a surgeon - who only cuts to remove a cancerous tumor that will eventually kill us. These are Hosea's words,

"Come, let us return to the Lord. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, that we may live before Him." Here we read how the tongue of the Wisest of all was used to bring healing - even though it cut as the words were heard. May we be those who speak the truth - who speak righteousness - who speak so as to bring healing to others.

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