From the fruit of his mouth a man’s stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied. The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (18:20-21)
Ever heard of eating your words? That is the concept behind Proverbs 18:20-21. They are interesting verses. Basically they remind us that our words have power…in fact so much power that they can bring life or death to the soul of another person. Probably all of us can remember words spoken to us as children that we still remember and that still impact us today. Words are powerful.
Jesus confirms this thought in the Sermon on the Mount when he says that those who call another person, “Raca!” (i.e., Empty-head!) or “You fool!” have in effect violated God’s command against murder. Why? Because they express a hatred toward another person designed to wound the soul if not the body.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, a preacher from a prior generation, hit the nail on the head when he said: “…There are ways in which men can be destroyed short of murder. We can destroy a man’s reputation, we can shake somebody else’s confidence in him by whispering criticism or by deliberate fault finding. …Killing does not only mean destroying life physically, it means still more trying to destroy the spirit and the soul, destroying the person in any shape or form.” Whoa. Death and life are indeed in the power of the tongue.
And, in the end, we will eat the “fruit” of our words. Our words have impact. And we are responsible for them. Again the words of Jesus: “…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out fo the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:34b-37).
The forcefulness of Jesus’ words makes you understand why Proverbs says the wise man learns to “restrain his lips” (Proverbs 10:19) and why James says that the person who can control his tongue is a “perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check” (James 3:2).
Lord, purify my heart that my words may glorify You and bring life to others.
How often do we speak before we think. How important it is that we be slow to speak and quick to listen. It is so true that our mouth can get us into trouble. Yet it is also true that if we are focused on the Lord at all times we will have the power of the Holy Spirit to either keep quiet or speak with love. When we speak we can’t undo what was said. That could be a good thing or a bad one. Let us keep our focus and always let our words be pleasing to the Lord and uplifting to the hearer. In His Love, Lori Plunkett
Comment by danplunkett — August 19, 2006 @ 10:56 am