At Cherry Tree Court, we looked at the subject of wise words. As Christians, our rule of thumb for speech is found in Eph 4:29: ‘Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.’ Our speech is one area which is hugely important in living well; we need to learn to listen more and speak less (James 1:19), think before we speak (Prov 12:18) and learn to avoid gossip, slander, name calling, ridicule and mockery. Bad language is unnecessary and we should also avoid grumbling and complaining (1 Cor 10:10).
Eccl 12:11 says, ‘The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one shepherd.’ A goad was a long spiked stick used to drive cattle and other animals. It was used to prod it and move it forward, even when it didn’t want to! The Message version of this verse translates it, ‘The words of the wise prod us to live well. They’re like nails hammered home, holding life together. They are given by God, the one Shepherd.’ We often don’t like being prodded, but we have a responsiblity to spur each other and encourage each other through our words (Heb 10:24-25, Eph 4:13-16).
James reminds us that our tongue is only a small part of our body, but is hugely influential. (James 3:9-10). We need to learn to think before we speak:
If we do this, the words of the psalmist will be true of us also: ‘May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.’ (Ps 19:14)