Fountains and Snares: Wisdom’s Voice on Our Words
You’ve probably heard it said, “Words are powerful.” That seems kinda obvious, doesn’t it? Many powerful speeches have been given by world leaders to alter the course of history. We immortalize the rousing speeches of heroes before a victorious battle. We hold dear sayings of wisdom from history’s great sages. Words really do have power over us human beings. Yet, those were spoken by high and mighty people. It doesn’t seem like the words spoken by us everyday carry that much. My friend, if we think like that, we are gravely mistaken.
Proverbs 18 is full of proverbs that deal with the power of our words. Perhaps, Proverbs 18:21 best encapsulates the weight of these proverbs: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits” (Prov. 18:21, ESV). Our tongues. Our words, spoken with them. The Bible says they carry “death and life” (Prov. 18:14). How can that be?
While we may not be preparing to lead armies, or be giving a State of the Union Address, our words carry great power on the people around us, everyday. On the one hand, we can use them to give life. We can encourage the hurting and the broken-hearted. As Paul tells the church at Thessalonica, “encourage the fainthearted” (1 Thess. 5:14). The body of Christ is to speak the truth in love as we mature in Christ-likeness (Eph. 4:15). It is also through our tongue that we proclaim the message of the gospel, and in so doing, we offer the Ultimate Source of Life to a world that desperately needs it.
On the other hand, we can use our words to break those around us. As one of the proverbs in this very chapter warns us, “A man’s spirit will endure sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?” (Prov. 18:14). I can remember moments in my life where a mere statement, a mere phrase, a mere word carried out this kind of destruction. Maybe, you have experienced such pain from the words of another. A little sentence, ill-timed, spoken in anger, spoken in “jest,” spoken in carelessness, and your entire world felt like it turned upside down. Fell apart. Maybe, the other person thought it was harmless. But it wasn’t. Cutting words still cut, even several years later. Maybe, you remember when one of your words caused this kind of destruction in the life of someone else. It could have even been accidental. Here again, cutting words still cut.
I do not say all of this to condemn anyone. As Paul writes, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). However, while we may live without condemnation, our words do have consequences, for both ourselves and others. Words are our weapons of mass destruction, and they can be the source of our destruction as well.
It is a humbling reality that our words carry such weight. This is why Proverbs 18 carries the warnings that it does, knowing that both “death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov. 18:21). What can we learn from Proverbs 18 about ourselves and our possession of this weapon, in order to tame and handle it with proper care?
It is critical not to read Proverbs 18 merely to find a list of do’s and don’ts. While we can infer do’s and don’ts, these proverbs are primarily concerned with the type of people we are and become, and such types of people are revealed by what they do and don’t do. So, we must first notice the interplay of the “foolish” and the “wise” at work in the chapter, carrying on themes introduced in Proverbs 1-9 to preface the rest of the book. In light of this interplay, we should be reading these proverbs with an eye to the following questions, “What do our tongues reveal about us? When and how does a person of wisdom wield the tongue? When and how does a foolish person wield theirs?”
Early in the chapter, we read that “the words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook” (Prov. 18:4). From this proverb, we can recognize that wisdom can be discerned from words. However, wisdom is not just revealed by speaking. Proverbs 17:27 tells us that those with knowledge are revealed in choosing when to speak: “Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.” In addition, the wise seek knowledge by listening, because “an intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge” (Prov. 18:15). The wise are more concerned with understanding than being heard. Through these proverbs, the wise person is revealed by their words and when they withhold them, and they seek knowledge by hearing instead of speaking.
On the contrary, the foolish can be detected from their mouth, as “a fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul” (Prov. 18:7). This proverb warns that the fool’s mouth leads him to death, and his words are not only harmful to others but to himself. How? The prior proverb tells us: “A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating” (Prov. 18:6). Not only do the fool’s words reveal him, they beg in foolishness for trouble. Unlike the wise, the fool “takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion” (Prov. 18:2). Instead of listening and seeking understanding, the fool rushes to his words, for the purpose of his own self-expression, his own thoughts, his own priorities. He doesn’t seek to understand. He wants to be heard. The fool “gives an answer before he hears” (Prov. 18:13), rejecting the opportunity for real knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 18 pushes this point further, by saying, “the one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him” (Prov. 18:17). The fool’s impatience to speak and his rejection of listening lead to death for himself and those around him.
Remember the words of Proverbs 18:21: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” If we are wise, we will know both when to speak and what to say. As Proverbs 18:20 says, “From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is satisfied by the yield of his lips.” Our wise use of the tongue will satisfy ourselves and bring life to those around us. However, our foolish use of the tongue rushes to death, for us and those around us, spurning the opportunity to understand and exposing our inner-selfishness.
Let the wise words of the Proverbs spur us to carry our weapons in wisdom. Listen in patience, speak with discretion, and put others before yourself in your words. Do you hear it? “Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks” (Prov. 1:20-21). Here’s your first chance for application. Hear the voice of wisdom. Don’t be foolish. Let her cultivate in us fountains of wisdom in place of snares of foolishness. Let wisdom’s voice bring life to us, so we can bring life to others.
Do you hear her?