Choose Your Words Wisely

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”– Proverbs 15:1

It is understood that gentle words lead to peace, while a harsh word just makes things worse.  Anger is removed by a gentle response, but a heated response fuels the flame.

I like Matthew Henry’s observation, (revised) “Solomon, as conservator of the public peace, here tells us how the peace may be kept, that we may know how in our places to keep it; it is by soft words. If wrath rises like a threatening cloud, pregnant with storms and thunder, a soft answer will disperse it and turn it away.”

So when men are provoked, speak gently to them, and give them good words, and they will be pacified, as the Ephraimites were by Gideon’s mildness.  Judges 8:2-3 reports; “But he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer? God has given the leaders of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb into your hands; and what was I able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger toward him subsided when he said that.”

In contrast, in a similar situation, Jephthah ignored this wisdom.  Judges 12:2-3 says, “Jephthah said to them, “I and my people were at great strife with the sons of Ammon; when I called you, you did not deliver me from their hand. 3 When I saw that you would not deliver me, I took my life in my hands and crossed over against the sons of Ammon, and the Lord gave them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?” 

Jephthah, with the responsibility as a Judge of Israel, used this provocation to kill 42,000 Ephraimites.  If you think about it, it means that at least 42,000 families were traumatized by the death of their loved one.  The conflict would continue for generations. 

Nothing stirs up anger, and sows discord, like grievous words, calling foul names, as Raca, and Thou fool, reminding and exaggerating people’s imperfections.  We must resist the temptation to infuse our wit with malice to stir up anger.  Our words may figuratively and literally cause the death of others.  Choose... your... words... wisely.

Pastor George