“From the mouth of the righteous comes the fruit of wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be silenced.”
Solomon spends a lot of time on a few subjects. Money, friends and a few others take of a significant amount of his attention. Sexual behavior and the tongue are two that crop up constantly. It is obvious that in a book about living wise, godly lives he sees these as critical areas. These two will either enhance or destroy our relationship with God and others. This verse is another example of that priority. It is also another verse where we see him describing the dichotomy between two options. Over the years I have made a conscious decision to surround myself with more of the righteous and their words. As a result I have experienced the fruit of wisdom and benefited greatly in all areas of my journey. It is a true gift of God when we can find and enjoy the interaction with those who have walked faithfully with Him and when they speak you hear years of that relationship in their speech. God’s gift of speech is considered one of the most powerful tools he has blessed us with. To waste it on perverse and empty talk is met with God’s judgement. The form of that judgement can certainly vary but no one who talks that way is ever blessed in the end. It’s partly why Jesus recommends cutting your tongue out if it causes you to sin. Jesus half brother James is pretty strong in his warnings about our speech as well. Today speak life or be quiet. #BeTheEdge
“Be slow to speak…” James 1:19b
