Be Quiet! Speak Up!
I am amazed at how our daughter who is the homeschooling mama of five children eleven and under finds time to accomplish the many, many things she accomplishes. I so admire that ability.
I have long known that time management is not one of my gifts. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 instructs us that there is an appointed time for everything—a time to tear down and a time to build up, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to keep and a time to throw away . . . Verse 7 tells us that there is a time to talk and a time not to talk:
There is an appointed time for everything.
And there is a time for every matter under heaven . . .
A time to be silent and a time to speak.
Ecclesiastes 3:1,7b
From early childhood, mamas teach their children when to be silent and when to speak.
We use words like “Shhhh, Jennie! Be quiet!” and “Speak up, Timothy.” We tell them:
Be silent when you are watching a wedding ceremony.
Speak when an adult says hello.
Be silent while I am talking to you.
Speak when I ask you a question.
Be silent when your brother is telling a story.
Speak when I tell you to apologize to your sister.
On and on the list goes. Most of our parents taught us those lessons, too. However, when we become adults, we are often in situations where it’s hard to know if we should speak or be silent. On Wednesday night, Ray taught a lesson on Proverbs 10. The chapter gives several teachings about what we say. The last verse contrasts good speech and bad speech.
The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,
But the mouth of the wicked, what is perverted.
Proverbs 10:32
Verses 14 and 18 teach us about wrong speech.
One who conceals hatred has lying lips,
And one who spreads slander is a fool.
Proverbs 10:18
 Wise people store up knowledge,
But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.
Proverbs 10:14
Verses 8 and 19 tell of the harm of speaking many words.
The wise of heart will receive commands,
But a babbling fool will come to ruin.
Proverbs 10:8
When there are many words, wrongdoing is unavoidable,
But one who restrains his lips is wise.
Proverbs 10:19
However, we also learn that words do great good.
The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
Proverbs 10:11
On the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found,
But a rod is for the back of him who has no sense.
Proverbs 10:13
The tongue of the righteous is like choice silver,
The heart of the wicked is worth little.
Proverbs 10:20
The mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom,
But the perverted tongue will be cut out.
Proverbs 10:31
Silence has a good purpose. Speaking has a good purpose.
While Ray taught us, I thought about the people in our world who don’t know right from wrong and about the horrible results that come from that. We desperately need to be using our words for good. The world needs that nourishment.
The lips of the righteous feed many,
But fools die for lack of understanding.
Proverbs 10:21