The tongue is a mighty weapon.
From the words of the James,
The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
The tongue is a world of wickedness. It pollutes the whole person. That’s what today’s proverb is about.
Lying In Wait for Blood
Proverbs 12:6 reads:
The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them.
How often do we lash out in anger or vituperation without thinking? If we are honest, more than we’d like to admit. This word “wicked” means criminal, or ungodly. One might be tempted to think it is a reference to the worst elements of mankind. In truth, it’s all of us. Jeremiah 17:9 says the heart is deceitful above all things.
Deceitful.
In other words, wicked. Insidious. Perverse.
Even on our best days, we fall short of the glory of God.
But to lie in wait for blood? Surely, we’re not murderers. Are we?
Our Lord says otherwise.
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer (1 John 3:15)
These verses aren’t meant to condemn, but to convict. The tongue is sharp and words have power. Those who are motivated by a wicked spirit, by anything other than the love of Christ, are quick to shed spiritual bloodshed with the tongue.
Our Rescue From Wickedness
The alternative is to speak words of righteousness. How hard that is to do.
The second half of Proverbs 12:6 reads:
but the speech of the upright rescues them.
Who is righteous?
Our Lord is righteous. We, being in Him, are righteous too because He has imputed His righteousness into us. As long as we live by His spirit, we will be rescued from the fires of hell that James speaks about James 3:6.
Let us watch what we say. Are you speaking words of healing or hurt? Love or pain? Good or evil?