Speech That Wounds

Take a few moments to review Proverbs 15:2, which we will use as our outline as we discuss the destructive use of the tongue. [Saturday] we will concentrate on constructive uses of speech. I have never known anyone who has not, at some time, struggled to keep his or her tongue under control. Because we are fallen, sinful, selfish creatures, we naturally use words to serve our own interests—often at the expense of others.

The Most Dangerous Part

Solomon had a lot to say about what we say. In fact, tongue, mouth, lips, and words occur almost 150 times in Proverbs. On average, a reference to speech appears five times in each of the thirty-one chapters. Seems to me any subject mentioned that often calls for extended attention in our examination of the book of Proverbs. So we will devote two weeks to the topic of wise uses of the tongue.

Choosing to Bless

It isn’t known how many people walk around with undiagnosed heart problems, but the frequency of sudden deaths from heart attack suggests millions. It’s difficult to treat a problem—physical, emotional, or spiritual—that you don’t know exists. Perhaps you wonder how you can detect spiritual heart troubles. Proverbs 20:11–12 suggests a reasonable approach: It is by his deeds that a lad distinguishes himself, If his conduct is pure and right. The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The LORD has made both of them.

Three More Hearts

Solomon addressed no less than six kinds of troubled heart in his wisdom sayings. We addressed three [Saturday]: The deceitful heart—People pursue wrongdoing and cover their tracks by deceiving themselves and others. The heavy heart—Sometimes difficulties consume a person’s every thought and sap all his or her emotional strength.

Three Hearts

Although the daily grind of a troubled heart is common, we often think we’re the only one struggling with discouragement, anxiety, doubt, and disappointment. Not so! It’s all around us. As I described earlier, a troubled heart beats within every chest, and the kinds of trouble are numerous. I find no less than six specified in Solomon’s writings. We’ll discuss three today and three [Monday].

Deep Waters

Whoever dubbed our era “The Aspirin Age” wasn’t far off. We live in a time when huge numbers of the world’s population use medications to relieve heartache, much of which is stress related. According to a 2011 article, prescriptions for the treatment of depression increased by 30 percent between 1996 and 2007 among patients with no psychiatric diagnosis.

Counselors of Shalom

A major cause of death in our world is heart trouble. I don’t mean heart attacks or heart failure; I mean that nearly everyone endures the daily grind of a troubled heart, which often presents as lingering anxiety and low-grade depression. More and more people are experiencing a relentless inner churning, characterized by discontentment, insecurity, instability, doubt, unrest, and uncertainty.

Keep It between the Lines

Having convinced us of the importance of guarding our hearts, Solomon urged three specific actions to make this practical. We’ve considered the first: we are to ignore false directions (v. 24). As we said earlier, if someone you have regular contact with habitually gives you information that contradicts your road map or GPS, drop him off at the next truck stop and don’t look back!

Good Directions

By now, I trust that Solomon has sufficiently motivated you to guard your heart from invasive, detrimental influences and to cultivate a hunger for knowledge of God. Hopefully, we possess adequate discernment to distinguish between helpful and harmful input. If not, deeper knowledge of God is readily available through His Word. If you are reading these pages, you are most likely reading the Scriptures.

On Guard!

Our study of Solomon’s fatherly advice has helped us appreciate the importance of guarding our heart, our inner self. He then explains why. The conjunction for could be translated “because.” The Hebrew word typically indicates an answer to the question why. We must guard the heart because “from within it” something extremely important occurs.

Tag Archives: Proverbs