Proverbs Devotion - Day 18

Chapter 18 has a focus on one’s speech and use of words. This theme runs throughout several of the proverbs in this chapter. But I want to focus on a well-known proverb: verse 21. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”

This proverb reminds us that there is power in our words. We see that this power can work positively or negatively. Words can be life-giving. They can encourage, heal, and build up others. What a blessing it is to be around an encouraging person! Hopefully you have someone like that in your life. He or she sees the best in you, believes in you, and is always rooting for you. When you are with them, they make you feel special, important, and capable. All because of the words they say. There is true power in that!

But we also see that words can bring death. You’ve probably been on the other side of a tongue-lashing or name-calling or even gossip that can completely change the way you feel about yourself or others. If we’re honest, we have all been on the giving side of that as well. Either purposefully or accidentally, we say something that truly and terribly hurts someone else. Growing up, children are taught to say “sticks and stones may hurt my bones, but words can never hurt me.” But for most people, that’s a lie. Truth is: words do hurt very much. That’s what this proverb is reminding us. There is great power in our words!

The second part of this proverb feeds off the first (pun intended). Solomon is making a play on words here between the mouth that speaks but it’s also how we feed. How we use our words (for life or death) will then have a natural consequence that we will “eat” of the fruit that results. If we use our words for life, encouragement, and building up, then we will get to enjoy the good fruits of it. We will reap benefits in our life and relationships. A positive and joyful encourager will find many friends. But those who speak negatively will find trouble. This too will have fruits that one must receive, like it or not. A negative person may find themselves facing the consequences of destructive words. In this same chapter, we are told the outcome for people who use their words in negative ways (verse 2, 6, 7, 13). It can bring great harm to their life. Solomon makes it clear: you will reap the consequences of your words. How will you use them? 

James 3 is a great companion to this. Our tongues can be so destructive, like a wildfire that destroys an entire forest. But verse 14 truly gets to the heart of the matter. Often what is in our heart is “bitter jealousy” and “selfish ambition” that causes us to have pride or envy that drives how we talk and treat others. But James tells us what true “wisdom” (I like how he uses that word here). True wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy, impartial, and sincere. When our hearts are operating in that kind of wisdom, there is a harvest of righteousness that we can then feast upon! Enjoy the sweet fruits of life-giving speech!

Admittedly, we all fail at this. Thankfully, we have a Savior who suffered greatly, yet did not have jealousy or selfish ambition. Peter, the one who denied Jesus, would later write this about the Savior: “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:22-24

We have a Savior who selflessly went to the cross to pay for our sinful words. Even when he was mistreated, he did not answer back with the same. Look in the face of your Savior today and allow his sacrifice for you stir your heart and ask him to help you use speech that honors and glorifies God the way his did and that give life and refreshment to those around you today.