Week 28: Silence is Golden
Weekly Reading:
Proverbs 5 - 28
Opening Prayer
Father God,
I know that we have one mouth and two ears but sometimes I feel like I am all mouth, no brain. I stumble and say something rude or unkind, or just plain foolish. I need you as my guide so that I listen more than I speak
Amen
Study
Solomon has a lot to say about a fool versus being wise. Wisdom or being wise is always the ultimate goal. Being a fool or foolish does not mean that one is not intelligent, but that one knows right and wrong, good and evil, the wise and unwise, but chooses the wrong, the evil, the unwise way.
Read these verses for understanding.
“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.”
Proverbs 18:21 NLT
“Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.”
Proverbs 10:19 NLT
“Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.”
Proverbs 21:23 NLT
“Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.”
Proverbs 18:2 NLT
What is Solomon saying?
Proverbs 18:21. You can use your words to hurt or to pierce. Also running your mouth can lead you down a path that will cause pain and strife.
Let’s look at the previous verse, the contrast to Proverbs 18:21 is verse 18:20.
“Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction.”
Proverbs 18:20 NLT
You’ve heard the saying before, “mama said if you don’t have anything nice to say, say nothing at all. ”
The wise choose when to speak and when to remain silent.
Proverbs 10:19, too much talk leads to sin, be sensible and keep your mouth shut”. Again, be sensible, and wise, Solomon is saying that silence is golden. We do not need to fill the openings, the silence, with the sound of our voice.
Proverbs 21:23, watch your tongue keep your mouth shut and you’ll stay out of trouble. Amen. Have you ever put your foot in your mouth, or said something that was poorly chosen or ill-timed? After speaking you feel 2 feet tall and the person on the other end felt uncomfortable? I know I have, and I still do. Have you ever let the cat out of the bag and ruined a surprise? Our mouths can easily get us into trouble.
Proverbs 18:2 fools have no interest in understanding, they only want to air their own opinions. And this proverb is like Solomon seeing 3,000 years into the future of social media, the current news channels, and talk radio. Instead of seeking to understand sometimes, our mouths are too intense on providing our points. We find ourselves so intent on proving our point that we not only skip trying to understand, but also jump straight into thinking of our battle and why we are right while the other person is still talking.
Listening and understanding is our choice. Allowing someone to fully speak and then ask questions, even if it is reframing their thoughts, makes them feel understood and maybe deepens our understanding of their position (for more on seeking to understand, reference Stephen Covey, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People).
Solomon, in his Proverbs, gives us the option of wisdom or folly. Many times, our mouths give us away as either fool or wise.
Abraham Lincoln once said, “better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.”
Closing Prayer
Father God,
Sometimes my mouth runs away from me and I lose all control of it. My mouth is sometimes like its own personality, and I am watching from the sidelines. Father, slow me down and let my mind keep up with my mouth so that I do not get myself in trouble. I wish that the older I got, the wiser I became, but sometimes my ego gets in the way, which quickly gets me into trouble. Be my guide today
Amen
Homework
Think of triggers that make you start talking and get you in trouble.
How can you set up roadblocks to stop this?
