"A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!"
Proverbs 15:23
Part 1
From our childhood, most of us can remember a time (or several times) when we raised our hand in class and was called on by the teacher, only to blurt out the wrong answer! Can you remember how it felt to have your cheeks on fire with embarrassment when the class laughed? There was no joy in giving a wrong answer!
“A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth.”
But how happy we are when we can give someone an answer that helps them. Learning to give people the right answers should be something that we improve on as we “grow in grace,” maturing in God’s wisdom. As the Lord seasons us, we begin to understand the meaning of the appropriateness of our answers. Wise and fitting answers come from the Lord.
“The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD” (Proverbs 16:1).
We should be in the habit of going to the Lord for wisdom as often as we need it. Especially when we are trying to help others.
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5).
If we will help others, our words need to be appropriate but also timely.
“And a word spoken in due season.”
Often as important as what we say, is when we say it! Solomon says our words need to be “spoken in due season.” Luther translated “in due season” as “in its time.” There are times when we ought to speak up, just as there are times when we ought to keep still. Dr. Walter Fremont used to tell wives not to pounce on her husband with all the day’s problems at the door when he comes home from work. He said, “Feed the brute first, then talk about the troubles.” His point was that our timing in our speaking to others can be crucial.
How can we know when our words are reasonable and well-timed? Come back tomorrow, and we will think more about this.
Quote: “I would go to the deeps a hundred times to cheer a downcast spirit. It is good for me to have been afflicted that I might know how to speak a word in season to one that is weary”[1] (Charles Spurgeon).
[1] Spurgeon’s quote Downloaded: Monday, August 17, 2020. From: https://www.christianquotes.info/top-quotes/17-amazing-quotes-power-words/.