The Tongue: A Matter of Life & Death

 By Bill Smith - Posted at Kuyperian Commentary:

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
Proverbs 18.21
Disagree with someone, criticize his lifestyle, or question his choices and you might be accused of violence in present-day Western culture. “Words as violence” has become something of a trope for anyone who feels injured and wants to use the power of victim status to cancel another speaker.[1] While the “words as violence” weapon is overused by the thin-skinned narcissists in our culture, there is truth in the fact that words have power that can be used violently, even causing death. The apostle John sees the ascended Jesus, the Word of God, riding a white horse having a two-edged sword coming out of his mouth–words–to strike down the nations (Rev 19.13-16). Words can destroy. But words are equally powerful to give life. They can be used to instruct and encourage people to move in the right direction. Death and life are in the power of the tongue.

Solomon’s statement in Proverbs 18.21 is not hyperbole. Rather, his words are rooted deeply in God’s revelation of himself and his relationship with his creation. The many instructions that Solomon gives his son concerning speech in Proverbs are not the words of some self-help guru who is writing chaff about techniques to manipulate situations in your favor. The proverbs of Solomon concerning speech are the meditations of a wise theologian who understands the nature of the world in which we live and how best to align ourselves with the purpose of the Creator to complete the mission he has assigned us.

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