An Analysis of Proverbs 18 20 Theology

Theology: An Analysis of Proverbs 18

An Analysis of Proverbs 18: 20: Theology

The term 'tongue' is used both literally and metaphorically in the book of Proverbs to demonstrate how despite being a small object, the tongue has the power to mar or make a life, and to fill a home with despair or gladness. This text examines the concept of the power of speech as presented in the book of Proverbs and Egyptian wisdom literature.

Analysis of Proverbs 18: 21, 21: The Power of the Tongue

The concepts of taming one's tongue and the use of language in daily living are among the core themes inherent in the book of Proverbs. The term 'tongue' is used both literally and metaphorically to demonstrate how despite being a small object, the tongue has the power to mar or make a life, and to fill a home with despair or gladness. The subsequent subsections examine what the book of Proverbs says about the power of speech, and how the insight presented therein compares with that given in Egyptian and Mesopotamian wisdom literature.

Summary of what the Book of Proverbs Says about Language/Speech

Speech is a God-like power given to man by God when He breathed life into him and made him a living soul. Speech, therefore, is divine, which is exactly why words have so much power (Waltke, 2004). Words can make or break a life - Proverbs 15:4 states that deceitful words have the ability to crush the spirit. We need to understand therefore, that what we say often has a profound effect on others. The power of words is vividly captured in chapter 18: 4, where Solomon states that the spoken word runs as deep as the waters in a wellspring and pierces as deep as a sword (12: 18). In summary, the spoken word has so much power that it can cause death as much as it can bless or restore a life. This is the central message in verses 20 and 21 -- that through language, one can either bless or curse a life. A healing tongue can encourage and restore life, just as a reckless and deceitful one can discourage, and cause hatred, arguments, and disharmony. Towards this end, Christians are advised to tame their tongues and be cautious about their language so that their words are a source of God's praise as well as blessings and inspiration for others, and not a premonition for evil, sin, and curses (Horne, 2005).

The Theme of the Use of the Tongue in Proverbs

As illustrated in Proverbs 18: 21 and 21, the tongue can be used both as an agency of evil and as an agency of good. As an agency of evil, the tongue works as:

A Lying Tongue: Proverbs 25: 18 states that any man that uses his tongue to give false testimony against his neighbor is a sharp arrow, a sword, and a maul. A lying tongue, therefore, brings harm to others at hand (a maul), several feet away (a sword) and far away (an arrow). It can crush the spirit (emotional death) (15:4) or lead to physical death through heated arguments and uncontrolled verbal exchanges. God Himself acknowledges in chapter 6: 17 that He hates a lying tongue, and that all liars are deemed to face His wrath and punishment. Christians are, therefore, cautioned against using their tongues for deceitful purposes (Murphy, 1998).

The Overused Tongue: overusing one's tongue is a recipe for sin (Garrett, 1998). Proverbs 10: 19 acknowledges that "sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues" (NIV). A blubber mouth is the perfect platform for a swift tongue --when we speak too much (or are swift to speak), we become slow to listen, and God (18: 13) describes this as folly and shameful. For this reason, Christians are encouraged to be slow to speak and swift to listen so that they are able to hear God's voice when He calls (Garrett, 1998).

The Backbiting Tongue: Proverbs 25: 23 acknowledges that a backbiting tongue is a sinful tongue -- a backbiter will talk about another individual, rather than talk to them and be a source of encouragement. A backbiting tongue is evil because it sows discord among brethren and stirs up problems, instead of solving them.

The Tale-bearing Tongue: according to Proverbs 18:8, a tale-bearer's words pierce their victim like wounds in the innermost parts of the belly. A tale-bearer loves to carry and tell tales about other Christians, thereby breeding grounds for hatred and disparity. Christians have a duty to edify others Christians and deny themselves; tale-bearing goes against this rule of edification. It wounds the victim and crushes their spirit just as a lying tongue does. For this reason, Christians are cautioned against using their tongues for tale-bearing purposes.

On the other hand, the tongue can be used as an agency of good, where it serves as a source of blessings, encouragement, and inspiration to others. Proverbs 12: 18 states that the words of the reckless pierce like a sword, but those of the righteous bring healing (NIV). Christians ought to make their tongues a source of healing and blessings for others. This they could do by i) controlling their impulses and speaking wisely, ii) conquering their wickedness and speaking kindly, and iii) speaking positively -- as Proverbs 16:24 states, "pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones" (NIV). Moreover, Christians need to make theirs a blessing tongue -- one that intercedes for others and preaches the good news of salvation, just as Christ did.