Day 118, Year 1
Speaking Words of Knowledge and Wisdom
“The mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom, But the perverted tongue will be cut out.” (Proverbs 10:31 NASB)
“The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.” (Proverbs 15:2 NKJV)
“The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death.” (Proverbs 13:14 NKJV)
Mature believers speak little, but words always need to be said. The first two verses encourage us to say words of knowledge and wisdom. When getting along with each other, we often consider who and on what occasions we are facing to determine what kind of valuable words should be spoken. God’s righteousness, knowledge, and wisdom are indispensable in giving spiritual inputs to interpersonal interactions. Indeed, His righteousness, knowledge, and wisdom are interrelated. God’s wisdom creates knowledge, enabling people to embrace His righteousness. And in turn, God’s righteousness grants us wisdom, and thus empowers us with His strength of life.
Contrarily, as stated in the first verse of today, “the perverse tongue will be cut off,” and this directly echoes Jesus’ pronouncement of judgment on those who speak idle words, pointing out the tragic fate of those who talk recklessly (Matthew 12:36-37). The first verse mentions that speaking foolishness might seem trivial, but the second verse speaks of the punishment of having an evil tongue cut off would be realized for those who utter perverse words, which is a grave matter. These verdicts are enough to make us shudder. Thus, believers should follow God’s principles of righteousness, knowledge, and wisdom so that our lives could be filled with God’s vivid guidance to His abundance and be capable of benefiting others.
The verses of many previous devotionals encourage us to choose life. The final verse of today indicates that the law of the wise is a fountain of life, guiding us away from the snares of death. This means that choosing life for one time is not enough, we should always seek and follow the truth taught by the wise so as to participate in His fountain of life for all. After all, earthly life is fading, people constantly face danger, and even the threat of death. This verse uses the term “the snares of death” to describe the traps that might appear in life. In other words, it alludes to dying in agony after being entangled and tormented in a trap rather than a sudden death. While heeding the words of wisdom could deliver us from these calamitous torments, understanding the principles of wisdom could help us all to stay away from disasters.
Reflection questions:
1) Is it your desire to speak words that convey God’s righteousness, knowledge, and wisdom? Why?
2) Do you think the snares of death are dreadful and something to be avoided? If you want to avoid it, what should you first refrain from?