Walking with the Wise #86: The Wonder of Words

“With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,

but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.”

—Proverbs 11:9

Words are powerful things that can lead to our justification or our condemnation. As Jesus said,

“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned"—Matthew 12:36-37.

Why? Because words reveal inner thoughts and intentions of our hearts; as Jesus said,

“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil”—Matthew 12:34-35.

When our hearts are inclined toward evil, terrible words come out of our mouths—unkind, slanderous, perverse, vulgar, and other such words that typically are directed at one of two objects—God or our fellow man. Either way, it is a violation of the intent of the Ten Commandments, which is to help us to love God and love our neighbor, as James explains further:

“For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God”—James 3:7-9.

Solomon understood that a godless man would try to harm his neighbor through slander or gossip, but a righteous man through his knowledge of God’s word would be delivered when harm came. As believers, we must remember that our words should bless God and man, not seek to hurt our neighbor, as Paul said:

“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity”—1 Timothy 4:12.

How is your speech? Are you seeking to build up and bless others? If your speech were to be judged would it deliver you, or would it condemn you? Live in such a way that God’s name is glorified through your speech. Amen.