Worse Than Foolish
Proverbs 29:20 NKJ
Do you see a man hasty in his words?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Proverbs is not kind to fools. Foolish people seem to be a topic that shows up in many of the chapters. In this twenty-ninth chapter, the foolish person is seen as someone virtually impossible to argue with. And the foolish person is the one who vents all his feelings. But our verse for today is particularly harsh with another kind of person: someone who is quick to speak.
A man hasty with his words. The NLT calls this person someone who speaks without thinking. A person who speaks first, then considers what he says. There is more hope for a fool than for this person. That's strong. When we consider that the word fool is used thirty-three times in Proverbs. And the word foolish is used thirteen more times. The fool is not getting away lightly. But the one who is too quick to speak is worse off than the fool. There is more hope, an expectation of good, for the fool than for the quick-lipped. How can this be?
The thing we must take into account is the importance the book of Proverbs puts on words. One of my favorite scriptures is Proverbs 18:21 "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit." But the book of Proverbs has a great deal more to say about words. Words can bring life or death into a situation. Wise words can heal, but rash words are like sword thrusts. Words, lips, mouth, and tongue are used 148 times in the book of Proverbs. From God's perspective, words are powerful. As His creation made in His image, we are the only ones who can use words. Some animals may have primitive forms of communication, but man is the only one who can articulate his thoughts and what is in his heart.
Someone who speaks too quickly has the ability to hurt others. Someone who speaks too quickly also has the ability to hurt himself. Words are likened to seeds, and the seeds we plant become part of the harvest of our lives. We know that words spoken over children can have a long-lasting impact. We also know that people can remember painful words spoken to them when they were very young. From Heaven's perspective, words are too powerful to be used without thought. Over one thousand years after Solomon wrote the warning about hasty words, James chimed in. "So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;" James 1:19 NKJ. At least James called us beloved brethren. Solomon skipped that nicety.
So, if you are the fastest lip in the west, is there hope for you? Absolutely! As a believer, you have the capacity for self-control according to 2 Peter 1:6. You'll have to practice. But take it from a recovering hasty word guy. It's possible and important.
Prayer
Lord, help me put a guard on my mouth. I can be self-controlled in my words.