Today’s post will be the last for 2022. I’ll return after the first of the year. Have a Merry Christmas.
Proverbs 12:18 gets the heart of many of today’s societal issues. Succinct and to the point, it reads:
Speaking rashly is like a piercing sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
“Rashly” is an interesting word choice. Its translated from the Hebrew bata, which literally means to babble, or to speak without thinking. There’s a lot of that going around.
You likely know someone who can speak at length without saying anything substantive. That’s one example of what this word “rash” means. Another, and the more common, example would be the person who speaks without giving consideration to how their words will be taken. Very often, this kind of speech is quick to get off the tongue in the heat of the moment. Hence, it is rash.
A person need not be angry to speak rashly, but often angry people speak rashly. They are so caught up in the emotion of the moment that they don’t pause to consider the impact of their speech. And the impact is more often than not destructive. It is like a sword thrust.
That old adage, “Sticks and stone may break my bones but words will never hurt me” just isn’t true. Words can, and do, pierce the soul.
By contrast, words from wise lips are like a healing balm.
Have you considered whether your speech is like a piercing sword or a healing balm? Have you asked the Lord Jesus to make you wise where your speech is concerned?
Allen Taylor is the author of I Am Not the King.