Proverbs 15:1-7 (KJV) A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. 2 The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness. 3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. 4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit. 5 A fool despiseth his father’s instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent. 6 In the house of the righteous is much treasure: but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble. 7 The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so.

Control The Tone, Not The Truth

If I were to summarize these few verses, it would be:

Consider your tongue and your place before you open your mouth!

Let’s start with our first verse:

Proverbs 15:1 (KJV) A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

We are not told never to speak harshly or with force – but we should consider de-escalation without compromising the truth of God’s Word before we bring out the Magnum. It takes two people to have an argument. As a wise King, Solomon knew that he could win more people to righteousness side with a calm and reasoned response than he could with harshness.

Now there are times for harshness. Our Lord Jesus used harsh words with the Pharisees. One place in Scripture is in Matthew 23:13-36. In those verses our Lord heavily chastises the scribes and Pharisees, saying:

Matthew 23:13 (ESV) … woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

Matthew 23:16 (ESV) … Woe to you, blind guides, who say ..

Matthew 23:23 (ESV) Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! …

Matthew 23:25 (ESV) Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! …

In that section of Scripture, Jesus accuses the Scribes and Pharisees of leading people into hell (23:13-15), in twisting the Scripture (23:16-22), of robbing God (23:23-24), of being outwardly respectable but inwardly reprehensible (23:25-28), of being a “brood of vipers who murdered the messengers of God” (23:29-36). This is a very harsh section of Scripture.

Though Jesus chastised the Scribes and Pharisees (though not the Sadducees), He did not resort to this harshness until all other attempts at reaching them was exhausted.

Jesus did not start with harshness, but started gently, lovingly. Jesus knew the Bible said:

Proverbs 29:11 (ESV) A FOOL gives full vent to his spirit, but a WISE MAN quietly holds it back.

Proverbs 12:18 (ESV) There is one whose rash words are like SWORD THRUSTS, but the TONGUE OF THE WISE brings healing.

One of the step-brothers of our Lord Jesus, James writes:

James 1:19-20 (ESV) Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Though we as believers cling to the Word of God, we know that our primary objective is to “Go into all the world and PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE” (Mark 16:15).

Illustrate: We need to take the stance of the the Prophet Samuel. When Israel came to Samuel and demanded:

1 Samuel 8:6 (ESV) … Give us a king to judge us.

Samuel got offended. But rather than fighting with the people, Samuel prayed to the Lord (1 Samuel 8:6). The Lord told Samuel:

1 Samuel 8:7-9 (ESV) … Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.

God told Samuel to not take it personally, but to “SOLEMNLY WARN THE PEOPLE” as to what they were requesting. He was to speak plainly, clearly, and truthfully, but not in anger. God can fight His own battles.

Illustration: In Judges chapter 7 God picked out 300 warriors to do battle with the Midianites. God had Gideon divide the 300 into three companies of 100. They surrounded the Midianite Camp in the middle of the night, blew trumpets and smashed jars with torches inside them as they cried out,

“A sword for the Lord, and for Gideon!”

Startled from sleep, the Midianite Army attacked itself, then ran away in a panic. When the Midianites ran, the Bible says:

Judges 7:23-24 (ESV) … the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after Midian. 24 Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and capture the waters against them, as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out…

The tribes of Naphtali, Asher and Manasseh were called out first to attack the fleeing Midianites. Then as the Midianites ran into the land of Ephraim, they were called to do battle. Israel worked together to fully destroy the army of Midian.

Though Midian was destroyed, there was still an enemy that needed to be conquered – the pride of EPHRAIM.

Following this great win for God, the Bible tells us:

Judges 8:1 (ESV) Then the men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they accused him fiercely.

They were upset that – first of all – they were not chosen to be part of the 300. But once Midian started running, Ephraim was called last, and this hurt their ego. How did Gideon respond?

Judges 8:2-3 (ESV) And he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? 3 God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger against him subsided when he said this.

Gideon defused the battle that was coming by humbling himself, and stroking the ego of the Ephraimites.

Proverbs 15:1 (KJV) A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

Word Study: The word translated “GRIEVOUS” means “idolatrous, an earthen vessel”. The sense of the word is that it is temporal, humanistic, earthly, of little value. We should make our words reflect the Word of God, and share that Word in such a way that the lost might be reached. Again, the text does not tell us that we are to twist the truth of God – but to be careful not to let ourselves be drawn into an unnecessary battle of “I’m right and you’re wrong”.

Only God is right!

Even if you stay within the parameters, don’t take it personally, and speak the truth in love – there will be times when our words will enrage the enemy. Stephen is an example of this. He died for the faith. But Stephen never attacked the enemy out of self pride, but used the Word of God. We are always to remember:

Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good

The Wise Speak Carefully, The Foolish Hastily

Proverbs 15:2 The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.

The “WISE” or the saved believer is supposed to use “KNOWLEDGE”, the Word that God has given him, “ARIGHT” or in the right way. We are not to twist the text, nor take it out of context. We are to follow the example of our Lord Jesus. The Bible says of Him that:

Colossians 2:3 (ESV) {in Jesus} are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

When Jesus said “I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE” (John 14:6) He was telling us that He shows us the right WAY. Jesus always spoke TRUTH productively, to lead others to the LIFE that God intended us to have. When Jesus was only 12 years old the Bible says as He conversed with the Rabbis in the Temple:

Luke 2:47 (ESV) … all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers ..

When the Pharisees sent Temple Officers to arrest Jesus (John 7:32), the officers returned empty handed. The Pharisees were furious! “Why didn’t you bring Him to us!” (John 7:45). Their response was telling. They said,

John 7:46 (ESV) … No man has ever spoke like THIS MAN!

Jesus hid Himself behind the Word of God. He looked at the world through the Scriptural writings. He meditated on the Word. Jesus was always careful to not allow the crowd to force Him into a reply.

The Wise – like Jesus – are not driven by passion and desire, but by God’s Word!

Jesus told those who challenged Him:

John 7:16 My teaching is not mine, but His who sent Me …

John 7:18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the One who seeks the glory of Him who sent Him is true, and in Him there is no falsehood

John 8:28 I do nothing on My Own authority, but speak just as the Father taught Me

Compare the response of the Wise, the Child of the Kingdom of God to the child of Adam:

the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness

The foolish shout and babble nonsense regardless of the truth, all with the intent of dragging you into their cesspool of evil. When attacked, Jesus did not allow passion to control Him so that He attacked back. Pastor Jon Bloom notes:

“Jesus was more concerned for the glory of God his Father than anything else. Jesus did not fear people — he “did not entrust himself to them” (John 2:24) and he did “not receive glory from [them]” (John 5:41). He loved and feared his Father. And this overriding pursuit of God’s glory freed him to say only what needed to be said when it needed to be said — and it made what he said so powerful and frequently unpredictable.”

If we as Christ’s Church are going to make a difference in this world, we cannot be dragged into the babbling of demons and lost people. We must keep our eyes on the Word of God, and use our tongues and our lives to support that Word. We are to live for the glory of God, not for our own glory. This is the difference between the lost and the saved: for whose glory are you living?

God’s Character Should Moderate Our Tongues

Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

The Lord watches us all. The evil, the lost person, rarely considers God unless they have a need in their lives. Then and only then will they give a slight nod to God as they demand that He give them comfort in their prayers. But God is everywhere at all times. God is not a stone idol, locked into a room. The Bible says:

Job 34:21-22 (ESV) For {God’s} eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps. There is no gloom or deep darkness where evildoers may hide themselves.

God is watching everyone at all times. This is an attribute or characteristic of God called omnipresence. People think that God does not see them. But God says:

Jeremiah 23:24 (ESV) Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.

God is everywhere, at all times and places. The Apostle said, “In Him we live, and move, and HAVE OUR BEING” (Acts 17:28). We were previously told in:

Proverbs 5:21 (ESV) For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and He ponders all his paths.

When my nieces were young, every Christmas my sister Crissie would put “An Elf On The Shelf” in the home. If the children were misbehaving she would tell them, “You better behave! Elfie will tell Santa, and you won’t get any presents!” Other parents go directly to the source, and say along with the song:

You better watch out,
You better not cry,
You better not shout,
I’m telling you why –
Santa Claus is coming to town!
He sees you when you’re sleeping,
He knows when you’re awake.
He knows if you’ve been bad or good,
So be good for goodness sake!

Elf on a shelf and Santa Claus are little tales we tell our children, but truthfully only God has omnipresence. God watches the evil and the good. God says:

Jeremiah 16:17 (ESV) … My eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from Me, nor is their iniquity concealed from My eyes.

Illustrate: In New York City, the largest city in America, there are 25,500 CCTV cameras with people watching the citizens – and yet criminals still slip through the cracks. But God sees everything. God sees the evil, and He sees the good. He sees us in our affliction, and in our comfort. God is with us through furnace or storm, through prison or freedom. The Bible says:

2 Chronicles 16:9 … the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.

The character of God, rightly understood, should control our tongues and our behavior.

The Tongue Can Heal, Or Kill

Proverbs 15:4 A WHOLESOME tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.

Word Study: The word translated WHOLESOME is the Hebrew marpē’, which means “healthy or healing”. The same word is used in:

Proverbs 12:18 (KJV) There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is HEALTH. {marpē’}

The healthy tongue is the “TREE OF LIFE”. The Tree of Life was placed in the Garden of Eden by God (Genesis 2:9) to benefit Adam and Eve. When Adam led Eve to depart from the Word of God (the day that you eat of the Tree of Knowledge, you shall surely die), in essence making himself god, the Lord said:

Genesis 3:22, 24 (KJV) … the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the TREE OF LIFE, and eat, and live for ever: … So {God} drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the TREE OF LIFE.

While Adam honored the Word of God, he had access – along with his progeny – to the Tree of Life. But once Adam substituted the Word of God for the word of the serpent, he lost access to that blessing.

Adam & Eve, as well as their children, lost access to the Tree of Life because they did not honor God’s Word.

To those who believe in God’s Word and grasp it by faith, God has promised to restore the Tree of life to us. God says:

Revelation 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Those who speak and cherish God’s Word lead others to the Tree of Life, to eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Those who wallow in evil and perverseness bring only “a breach in the spirit”. Let us turn fully to the Word of the Lord.

Father Knows Best

Proverbs 15:5 A fool despiseth his father’s instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent.

In the ancient world the Father or Daddy provided instruction to the children. God told the fathers in Israel:

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NKJV) Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

It was the father’s job to teach the children in the family. As the family began to break down, and the number of families were fatherless, foolishness began to reign in America. The father is to teach his children how to behave in a civil society. As one commentary noted:

“One’s attitude toward parental teaching will determine one’s lifelong attitude toward authority and instruction.” (Garrett)

Authority Of The Wise And The Foolish

Proverbs 15:6-7 In the HOUSE of the righteous is much treasure: but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble. 7 The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so.

Wisdom and godliness bring treasure into a life. The word “HOUSE” is not a reference to a stick and mortar building, but to a dynasty or a kingdom. We are told in:

Hebrews 3:4-6 (KJV) .. every HOUSE is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. 5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his HOUSE, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; 6 But Christ as a Son over His own HOUSE; whose HOUSE are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

Moses’ HOUSE was the Old Covenant and the Law. Jesus’ HOUSE is the New Covenant and Grace. The Bible tells us “the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). We who are saved are of the HOUSE OF CHRIST. He is our Savior and Lord, and we continue under His administration. There is “MUCH TREASURE” in following Christ. The wicked follows the flesh and the desires of this world, but those who follow after Christ are blessed beyond measure. Why? The reason is, the Ways of Christ are far superior to the ways of Satan, of this world.

There is RELIEF FROM DAMNATION in the House of Christ. God told Noah, “You come along with your HOUSE into the Ark, for you have sought righteousness before Me” (Genesis 7:1).

The Christ follower must leave the HOUSE of the lost, and commit to the Lord. God told Abram, “Get out of your country, from your FATHER’S HOUSE, to where I lead you” (Genesis 12:1).

If you are saved, you are called to follow Him Who saved you. We are to live for Him, and to speak His Word.

The lips of the wise disperse knowledge

May God use us for His glory. Amen!