MARCH
23, 2014
Pro 17:27 He who restrains his words has knowledge,
And he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
Pro 17:28 Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is
considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.
Pro
21:23 He who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles. NASB
All
of the above are stated positively!
VERSE
27:
“He is of a cool spirit (so some read
it), not heated with passion, nor put into any tumult or disorder by the
impetus of any corrupt affection, but even and stayed. A cool head with a warm
heart is an admirable composition. 2. by the good government of his tongue.
(1.) a wise man will be of few words, as being afraid of speaking amiss: He
that has knowledge, and aims to do good with it, is careful, when he does speak
to speak to the purpose, and says little in order that he may take time to
deliberate.”
Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole
Bible
·
One
who refuses, holds back, reserves, spares his words knows knowledge, and he who
has a quiet life, quiet breath, quiet anger is a man of discretion, reason, skillfulness,
understanding.
VERSE
28:
·
Even
a perverse, silly foolish man, when he ceases, let’s alone, conceals, speaks
not a word is thought to be intelligent, skillful, wise; when he shuts, stops
his speech, is thought of as being eloquent and having intelligence.
VERSE
23:
·
He
who hedges about (as with thorns), protects, attends to, is circumspect, takes
heed his speech and his tongue, guards his vitality, breath, life, soul from adversity,
affliction, anguish, distress, tribulation, trouble.
RECOGNIZE THE
POWER OF WORDS (PROVERBS 18:19-21)
Pro 18:19 A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city, And contentions are like
the bars of a citadel.
Pro 18:20 With the fruit of a man's mouth his
stomach will be satisfied; He will be satisfied with the product of his lips.
Pro 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the
tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. NASB
Good:
A man will be satisfied in his stomach
(Innermost being) with the good that his mouth speaks, they will also give life
(joy, that which is very pleasant).
Bad:
An offended brother is very difficult to
win back.
Death of joy that which is very pleasant
and will be the lot of those who speak evil: they will reap the consequences of
their speech.
VERSE
19:
“No discords are like those of brethren;
the nearer the union, the greater the separation upon a breach; for natural
ties being stronger than artificial, when they are once broken, they are hardly
made up again, as seams when they are ripped may be sown again; but rents in
the whole cloth are not so easily remedied.” (H. G. Salter.)
·
This
verse hints at a very close relationship, we should be extra careful about our
valued relationships because we could lose them with a few careless words.
VERSE
20:
·
Some
commentaries equates the stomach here with the conscience, then our conscience
will be a comfort or a source of regret and pain according to the words of our
mouth has been to others.
VERSE
21:
I.
The
tongue is like a steed (Jas_3:3-5): (1)
When it speaks too much; (2) when it is boasting; (3) when it is angry.
Jas 3:3 Now if we put
the bits into the horses' mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their
entire body as well.
Jas 3:4 Look at the ships also, though they are so
great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder
wherever the inclination of the pilot desires.
Jas 3:5 So also the tongue is a small part of the
body, and yet it boasts of
great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! NASB
II.
The
tongue is like a sword (Psa_57:4): (1)
Against the weak and helpless; (2) against sacred things and holy persons. Psa
57:4 My soul is among lions; I must lie
among those who breathe forth fire, Even
the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows And their tongue a sharp
sword. NASB
III.
The
tongue is like a serpent (Psa_140:3):
(1) when it slanders; (2) when it flatters.
Psa 140:3 They
sharpen their tongues as a serpent; Poison of a viper is under their lips.
Selah. NASB
The tongue is
like fire (Jas_3:6). It is like fire
when it speaks profane or foul words in the hearing of others; because those
who hear them speak them again, and so the evil spreads and spreads.
Jas 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is
set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire
the course of our life, and is
set on fire by hell. NASB
J. Stalker, The New Song, p. 24.
GUARD AGAINST
GOSSIP (PROVERBS 11:13; 26:20-24)
Pro
11:13 He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is
trustworthy conceals a matter.
Pro 26:20 For lack of wood the fire goes out, And
where there is no whisperer, contention quiets down.
Pro 26:21 Like
charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, So is a contentious man to kindle
strife.
Pro 26:22 The words of a whisperer are like dainty
morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of the body.
Pro 26:23 Like
an earthen vessel overlaid with silver dross Are burning lips and a wicked
heart.
Pro 26:24 He who hates disguises it with his lips, But he lays up
deceit in his heart. NASB
Good:
He who is trustworthy covers over
secrets and contentions stop.
Bad:
He who not trustworthy reveals secrets
to the hurt of others, contentions continue to flare up,
their words are tasty but poisonous, they
themselves are cheap, are full of deceit, and have hatred in their hearts.
VERSE
13:
A talebearer: “…he may be a man in whose own
conscience there is a sore place. He knows something against himself. He is
conscious of some lurking, some secret, some bosom sin. And it is a relief to
him to hope that others are not so much better than himself. He finds a solace
in his wretchedness in making company for his sin. (3) There are others who
cannot bear superiors. They do not like superiors in station, but superiors in
character they cannot brook. Their only comfort is in a general disbelief of
virtue. A ridiculous story to tell of the eminently good is to them as a
draught of water to the thirsty.”
C. J. Vaughan, Lessons of Life and Godliness,
p. 1.
VERSE
20:
“Contention is as a fire; it heats the
spirit, burns up all that is good, and puts families and societies into a
flame. Now here we are told how that fire is commonly kindled and kept burning,
that we may avoid the occasions of strife and so prevent the mischievous
consequences of it.”
Matthew
Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible
VERSE
21:
“These sayings all picture the harm done
by those who deliberately use their tongues to damage the reputations of
others, to spark "strife," and hence to disrupt the peace of
the community. The "tale-bearer" ("slanderer" is the
stronger translation and brings out the malicious character assassination which
can be the result of vile gossip…”
The
Preacher’s Commentary
VERSE
22:
The slanderer
looks upon his nasty words as tasty tidbits, delicious morsels of raw
gossip.
Nelson’s
New Illustrated Bible Dictionary
VERSE
23:
“The meaning of
this proverb is not far from Jesus' remarks to His enemies that they were like
whitewashed tombs. No amount of painting on the outside changes the value of
the rotten interior.”
Nelson’s
New Illustrated Bible Dictionary
VERSE
24:
“No one counterfeits pennies or even
one-dollar bills, as far as I know. They do counterfeit twenty-dollar bills.
They only counterfeit that which is valuable. So we should not be surprised to
see counterfeit Christians. This cluster of proverbs describes the phony and
warns against him. He is the man who is two-faced. He will flatter you, yet in
his heart he will hate you.”
Thru
The Bible with J. Vernon McGee
GUARD AGAINST
FALSEHOOD (PROVERBS 10:18-19; 12:17-19)
Pro 10:18 He who conceals hatred has lying lips, And he who spreads
slander is a fool.
Pro 10:19 When there are many words, transgression
is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise.
Pro 12:17 He who speaks truth tells what is right,
But a false witness, deceit.
Pro 12:18 There is one who speaks rashly like the
thrusts of a sword, But the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Pro 12:19 Truthful lips will be established forever,
But a lying tongue is only for a moment. NASB
Good:
A person of few words is considered
wise, will speak what is right and bring healing with their words and will be
fully established.
Bad:
One who as hatred will conceal their deceit
and lie with impunity, as a fool will repeat slander, give false witness, wound
others ruthlessly and will perish.
VERSE
18:
“By hating another person you may become
a liar or a fool. If you try to conceal your hatred, you end up lying. If you
slander the other person and are proven wrong, you are a fool. The only way out
is to admit your hateful feelings to God. Ask him to change your heart, to help
you love instead of hate.”
Life
Application Study Bible
VERSE
19:
“It is a sin
against the speaker himself. A man whose tongue is always wagging, is doing a
serious injury to his own intellectual and spiritual nature.
1. Great volubility
is a substitute for thought. The man mistakes words for thoughts. Plato says,
“As empty vessels make the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are
the greatest babblers.”
2. Great volubility is a quietus to
thought. The man who has the power of talking without thinking will soon cease
to think:”
The
Biblical Illustrator
VERSE
17:
“A faithful witness commended for an
honest man. He that makes conscience of speaking truth, and
representing every thing fairly, to the best of his knowledge,…”
“A false witness condemned for a cheat;
he shows forth deceit, not only how little conscience he makes of
deceiving those he deals with, but how much pleasure he takes in it, and that
he is possessed by a lying spirit,”
Matthew
Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible
VERSE
18:
“Whisperings and evil surmises, like a
sword, divide and cut asunder the bounds of love and friendship, and separate
those that have been dearest to each other.”
Matthew
Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible
VERSE
19:
·
Truthful
words speak of eternal things and are already established.
·
Lies
spoken will not pass beyond this life, they will not have any place in
eternity.
USE WORDS TO
HELP AND HEAL (PROVRBS (25:11-13; 31:8-9)
Pro 25:11 Like
apples of gold in settings of silver Is a word spoken in right circumstances.
Pro 25:12 Like
an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold Is a wise reprover to a
listening ear.
Pro 25:13 Like the cold of snow in the time of
harvest Is a faithful messenger to those who send him, For he refreshes the
soul of his masters.
Pro 31:8 Open your mouth for the mute, For the
rights of all the unfortunate.
Pro 31:9 Open your mouth, judge righteously, And
defend the rights of the afflicted and needy. NASB
All
of these verses express a positive.
VERSE
11:
“Solomon
here shows how much it becomes a man, 1. To speak pertinently: A word upon
the wheels, that runs well, is well-circumstanced, in proper time and place
- instruction, advice, or comfort, given seasonably, and in apt expressions,
adapted to the case of the person spoken to and agreeing with the character of
the person speaking -”
Matthew Henry’s
Commentary on the Whole Bible
VERSE
12:
“Especially
to give a reproof with discretion, and so as to make it acceptable. If it be
well given, by a wise reprover, and well taken, by an obedient ear,”
Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible
VERSE
13:
“That
snow was frequent in Judea, is well known; and that in the East they have
snow-houses - places dug under ground, where they lay up snow for summer use -
is also a fact. By means of the mass of snow desposited in them the icy
temperature is kept up, so that the snow is easily preserved. The common method
of cooling their wine, which is as easy as it is effectual, is by dipping a
cloth in water, wrapping it round the bottle, and then hanging the bottle in
the heat of the sun. The strong evaporation carries off the caloric from the
wine, and the repetition of the wet cloth in the same exposure, makes the wine
almost as cold as ice.”
Adam Clarke’s
Commentary on the Bible
VERSE
8:
“If
Lemuel's "mouth" is to be closed to carousing, it is to be "open"
to correcting. Again (see Pro_31:5) the
concern is for those who cannot help themselves: "Speechless"
does not here mean literally "dumb" (Isa_35:5)
but so overwhelmed with fear, anxiety, and isolation as to be rendered
speechless before the accusers;”
The Preacher’s
Commentary
VERSE
9:
“she advises him
to do the duties of his office in administering impartial justice to all, and
particularly in being the advocate and judge of the indigent and distressed.”
John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
No comments:
Post a Comment