Like Apples of Gold

The writer of Proverbs 25:11 paints this word picture about good communication, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” As a woman after God’s own heart, this kind of beauty should be the goal for all of your communication. Here are several of God’s keys to godly speech. Your words are to be:

Soft - “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). The words we choose to use have an effect on the hearer. Harsh, loud, caustic speech leads to arguments and quarrels, while soft, gentle words bring about peace.

Sweet - “Sweetness of the lips increases learning” or influence (Proverbs 16:21). Do you want to get your point across? Realize that, “Pleasant words promote instruction” (Proverbs 16:21 NIV).

Suitable - “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24). Kind words have a medicinal effect on both body and soul.

Scant - “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise” (Proverbs 10:19). Another Bible translation is very vivid and down-to-earth in its language: “Don’t talk so much. You keep putting your foot in your mouth. Be sensible and turn off the flow!”

Slow - “Be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19). Make it your aim to “listen much, speak little, and not become angry” (James 1:19 TLB). Why? Because “the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:20 NKJV). No good ever comes from sinful anger.

What happens when you and I don’t communicate God’s way with others? What results from a failure to pay attention to God’s wise guidelines for our speech? Proverbs has more word pictures for us, detailed in these verses:

“Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, than in a house shared with a contentious woman” (Proverbs 21:9).

“Better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and angry woman” (Proverbs 21:19).

“A continual dripping on a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike” (Proverbs 27:15).

I’m sure you get the picture! The message is that a crabby, cranky, nagging, quarrelsome, complaining, ill-tempered woman annoys others in the same way a con­stant drip gets on our nerves and “drives us crazy.” It’s also important to note that poor communication drives people away, isolates, and divides them from each other.

Instead, let your speech be like apples of gold in settings of silver, like 14-carat gold fruit in a sterling silver basket—priceless, admirable, exquisite, and desirable. Learn to speak with godly wisdom when you communicate with others. Choose words that are soft, sweet, suitable, and scant!

RESPOND:

Lord, let my speech be like apples of gold in settings of silver. Help me to speak with wisdom. Amen.

RENEWING RESOURCES: 

Elizabeth George shares God's Word and woman-to-woman practical wisdom on how you can pursue God's priorities in A Woman After God’s Own Heart.

REFLECT:

What specific things can I change about how I communicate?

REMEMBER:

Poor communication drives people away, isolates, and divides them from each other, but kind words have a medicinal effect on both body and soul.