June 1 Daily Devotional

Scripture for Day 32—Ecclesiastes 10:12

¹²The words of a wise man's mouth win him favor,
     but the lips of a fool consume him.

Devotional:

All wisdom literature will eventually comment on the use of the tongue. In the book of Proverbs, this may well be the most prevalent theme, and the words of our verse could easily be found in this collection. Once again, Qoheleth rummages in the archives of traditional sapiential concepts as he reflects on what it is like when a fool opens his mouth.

He makes three observations about the fool's speech. The first (10:12) features an antithetical saying contrasting the respective effect of the words of the wise and the words of the fool. 10:13 then highlights the aspect of deterioration: If unchecked, the fool's words will go from bad to worse. 10:14 in turn, informs us that one of the hallmark traits of a fool is that he cannot stop talking, never mind his lack of adequate knowledge of the things about which he speculates.

Well, the first saying draws attention to what words will do to the speaker. Ordinarily, we tend to assess the value of words in terms of what they do on the receiving end. Yet, words will also profoundly impact the speaker himself. Just imagine what habitual lying will do to the person who engages in it. Think of how the frequent employment of abusive language or gossip will precipitate a hardening of heart. Our proverb underscores a very tangible aspect of how words have repercussions for the speaker, namely, in terms of the reaction of those who hear them. This seems to be the meaning of 10:12: "The words of a wise man's mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him."

How do the words of the wise person win favor? The language is somewhat ambiguous at this point: "The words of a wise man’s mouth—favor (or: grace)," is how the Hebrew reads. This could imply that the words of the wise not only win the speaker favor, but that they extend favor or grace to others. A wise person's words are gracious, and this is why they will also win favor with the hearers. The wise is looking for opportunities to speak for the good of others, not for selfish ambition. And indeed, if language is invested with the wisdom of God, it will always aim at the benefit of the audience. In Christian terminology we could say we must speak with a redemptive purpose, that is, to promote grace and Christ-like character in the other person.

With the fool it is not so: "…the lips of a fool consume him." Why are the words of a fool so detrimental to him? He is notoriously insensitive to the needs of others. His world revolves around himself only, he cannot see the other person, and he does not know God. Consequently, his words will not only have a perversely self-assuring or hardening effect on his own heart, but he will not make many friends for himself. Perhaps you can remember a situation when someone said something overtly foolish. Did you not lose respect for that person? How much more when foolish words keep coming! In this way, then, do the words of the fool destroy the speaker. Ask yourself: Is your use of words Christ-like? What do your words do to you?

The author of these devotionals, the Rev. Martin Emmrich, is an ordained OPC minister (Westminster OPC, Corvallis, Oregon) as well as the author of Pneumatological Concepts in the Epistle to the Hebrews, a book on the teaching of Hebrews on the Holy Spirit. We are happy to make these devotionals on Ecclesiastes and other passages of Scripture available to you.