Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.

Think before we speak! Make sure we know what we are talking about before sounding off. A person that talks fast, talks often, and answers quickly is worse than a fool. Solomon says there is more hope for a fool than for one who speaks without thinking. How is it so?

Solomon answers: “Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding” (Pro 17:28). That means even a fool who keeps his mouth shut is counted as having understanding. Even a fool knows when to keep his mouth shut; but a man who is hasty in his words can’t. A fool saves himself a lot of trouble by simply keeping his mouth shut. But one who is hasty in his speech goes on and gets into trouble. If you’re going to say something hurtful to yourself or others, keep your mouth shut and you will avoid the hurt. And that includes saying anything that does not edify or build up.

Mark Twain is attributed with this quote: “It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt.”

A wise man thinks before answering. Did you ever have to eat your words? What happened? You spoke too fast without thinking, didn’t you? No wonder James admonishes: “Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19).

The opposite of a hasty talker is one who is slow to speak. The slow to speak speaker listens and thinks before he opens his mouth. The hasty talker is a poor listener. We have two ears and one mouth. It is God’s design that we should hear more and talk less. Let this proportion be reflected in our listening and speaking. One who is hasty in his speech hears very little but talks a lot. He is usually the most unlikeable person in the group.

How about in worship? Do you talk in worship? Solomon wants us to be serious in worship. He instructed us that there is both “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak” (Eccl 3:1, 7). And worship is definitely not a time to speak. He says we should “be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools” (Eccl 5:1). The sacrifice of fools refers to those who are in worship but not worshipping God. Solomon warns against talking in worship: “Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few” (Eccl 5:2).

Hence, whether in worship or in our social circle, we are to watch our tongue. We should think before we speak. On certain occasions, we should not speak at all. The tongue is a slippery member in the body. I think it’s the reason God placed it inside the mouth so that it can be shut in. But too often, we let it out easily. We say “it’s a slip of the tongue” because it just slips out of control.  

If your dog is prone to bite strangers, would you let it out of the house without supervision and a leash?  You won’t? You ensure your gate is secured so that it does not run out on its own freewill. Yet, how is it that we fail to shut our mouth and keep the tongue in but let it run loose when it has known to have hurt others? All it takes is one or two ill-placed words, and you have offended someone, started a rumour, gossiped or criticized, and eroded a portion of our godly character.

We may be unknowingly offending our fellow brethren. James tells us to bridle our tongue (Jas 3:1-8). The bridling of our tongue takes effort—a conscious, daily, minute-by-minute effort—to think before we speak.

We must be aware of what we are saying and how we are saying it. Once spoken, we can’t take our words back! We can’t say, “Forget what I just said.” We can only say, “Forgive what I just said.”

If you are the type who dominates conversations, be sure to stop and think before you speak. Ask yourself the question, “Is my comment going to be uplifting, helpful and edifying?” If you are in doubt, don’t speak, just listen. Be a better listener and thinker.

King David was very careful about how he spoke and what he spoke about. He said, “I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me” (Psalm 39:1).

So many problems could be resolved in our homes, church, workplace, school, communities and world if we could simply learn to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Let us think before we speak.

Jimmy Lau

Psa 119:97  Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.