# 440 The Proverbs – ‘A manual for living’ (MSG). Proverbs 15 (2). The mouth speaks what the heart is full of [Jesus].

In my last Post we considered the Proverbs concerning the heart, and we noted that there are two types. There are the hearts of fools (15:7) and there is the heart of the righteous (15:28).

Jesus also spoke of these one day when he was teaching the crowds. He said;

⁴³ “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. ⁴⁴ Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. ⁴⁵ A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (Luke 6:43-45)

Proverbs 15 enlarges on this as the author speaks of our words as follows

1. In our relationships with other people.

A gentle answer turns away wrath,
    but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Consider two examples from the Bible.

Firstly, Gideon as he calmed the anger of the men of Ephraim over a miscommunication, by responding with a gentle answer.  We read in Judges 8:1-3:

Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?” And they challenged him vigorously.

² But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? ³ God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” At this, their resentment against him subsided.

Secondly, Nabal’s sarcastic response (harsh words), when David requested a favor from him,  which put David in a fighting mood [“Nabel” means “fool”!]. We read in 1 Samuel 25:10-13:

¹⁰ Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. ¹¹ Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?”

¹² David’s men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word. ¹³ David said to his men, “Each of you strap on your sword!” So they did, and David strapped his on as well. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.

Fortunately for Nabal, his wife, Abigail, was a wise woman and was able to overrule her husband’s foolishness and prevent David from any regrettable actions (see 1 Samuel 4:14-35).

I guess, all of us have either experienced gentle words and been grateful for them, or alternatively experienced harsh words and been hurt and reacted negatively. And just maybe, we have been the one to utter either gentle or harsh words and faced the consequences of both. Proverbs continues with more good advice concerning our words:

² The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge,
    but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.

⁴ The soothing tongue is a tree of life,
    but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.

⁷ The lips of the wise spread knowledge,
    but the hearts of fools are not upright.

¹⁴ The discerning heart seeks knowledge,
    but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.

²³ A person finds joy in giving an apt reply—
    and how good is a timely word!

²⁶ The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked,
    but gracious words are pure in his sight.

²⁸ The heart of the righteous weighs its answers,
    but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.

• In our relationship with God.

²⁹ The Lord is far from the wicked,
    but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

⁸ The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked,
    but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

Our God delights in the prayers (words spoken in faith and hope) of his people, and delights in answering our prayers, even if his answer may be different to our expectations. Consider the words of James:

¹³ Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:13-16)

Both to the people around us and to our God may we utter gracious words [which] are pure in his sight. Amen.