We have all seen it in our competitive contentious society: In a marriage, one sharp answer sparks a smart aleck response; and the race is on. In a business meeting, an insecure employee throws another employee under the bus which provokes an angry response; and the race is on. In a church, one careless person spreads gossip about the family of another person, word gets around, and soon there are angry words; and the race is on.
Relationships break under such behavior. Divorces divide. Businesses falter. Churches split. Wisdom and knowledge suffer as ‘truth’ becomes a meaningless word. Arrogance rises up as fast as the hot air pours out, and pride continually fuels the fire. This is not new; it is part of our human fallenness. But, it doesn’t have to be that way.
15: 1-3. A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge,
but the mouths of fools pour out folly.
The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
keeping watch on the evil and the good.
The Apostle Paul learned this lesson. He sent a letter to the gathering of Christians in Corinth, a letter that we do not have, a letter that was delivered in between what we call I Corinthians and II Corinthians. There was trouble in Corinth, so Paul sent a letter that he wrote “out of much distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain, but to let you know the abundant love I have for you.”[1]
Yet, it did cause pain. That is why II Corinthians has so many disclaimers. For example, “I do not mean to imply that we lord it over your faith; rather, we are workers with you for your joy, because you stand firm in the faith.”[2] After Paul sent Titus to do damage control, then the church accepted the admonition, and Paul was “consoled by the arrival of Titus.” Paul admitted that for a while: “I did regret it, for I see that I grieved you with that letter.” However, since the church repented, Paul was overjoyed at their response.[3]
15: 4-5. A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
A fool despises a parent’s instruction,
but the one who heeds admonition is prudent.
A gentle tongue, then, is able even to instruct and correct without stirring up anger or breaking the spirit. Of course, much depends on the manner in which instruction is received as well. Some people resent instruction, even if given in a humble spirit. But, for those who receive it, instruction is life-giving.
15: 7 & 14. The lips of the wise spread knowledge;
not so the minds of fools.
The mind of one who has understanding seeks knowledge,
but the mouths of fools feed on folly.
I have paired these two verses for a reason. Lest we tend to think of the wise as ‘know it alls’, which is an observation that verse 7 seems to support, take a close look at verse 14. “The one who has understanding,” that’s the wise, right? That one “seeks knowledge.” If this person is wise and “has understanding,” then why does he or she need to “seek knowledge”?
Perhaps it is because that for the wise, learning never ends. One of the reasons that I do these devotionals and lessons (blogs) is that I can never read a passage of Scripture without getting a new understanding of what God means to say. I feed on Scripture.
The text here says that “the mouths of fools feed on folly.” Is that why some people search the internet for the latest conspiracy theory? They’re hungry? Have these fantasies replaced the ‘gossip’ which titillated the people in the last century? Solomon says the minds of fools do not spread knowledge, but constantly feed on folly. Maybe the fear of the Lord isn’t so bad after all.
15: 18, 23, 26, 28. Those who are hot-tempered stir up strife,
but those who are slow to anger calm contention.
To make an apt answer is a joy to anyone,
and a word in season, how good it is!
Evil plans are an abomination to the Lord,
but gracious words are pure.
The mind of the righteous ponders how to answer,
but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil.
These four verses are not sequential, but they carry a similar theme. We all have a choice of whether to pursue conversations that build relationships with others, or instead to try to appear smart, and end up being a smart aleck who tears down relationships.
15: 32-33. Those who ignore instruction despise themselves,
but those who heed admonition gain understanding.
The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,
and humility goes before honor.
By heeding admonition, the congregation at Corinth gained understanding and deepened their friendship with Paul. Solomon here says that “The fear of the Lord IS instruction in wisdom.” One who honors God in God’s proper place, humbly understands that their ‘wisdom’ pales in comparison with God. So, humility and wisdom go hand in hand because there is always a lot more to understand as we go deeper in relationship with God. In fact, we often don’t know how much we don’t know unless we dig deeper and realize how much we are missing.
[1] II Corinthians 2: 4.
[2] II Corinthians 1: 24.
[3] II Corinthians 7: 6, 8, 9.