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The Case of the Twisted Tongue (Proverbs 15:4)
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“A healing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue shatters the spirit” Proverbs 15:4, EHV) “He that knows how to discourse will make the place he lives in a paradise” – Matthew Henry [/perfectpullquote] Here’s a trivia question: How many episodes of Perry Mason aired in the original series? Here’s a related question: Who cares? Besides the DVD seller, I do. I have all 271 original episodes on (legal) DVDs. For some reason, I’m fascinated by this legal drama.Invariably, someone will be caught in a lie and trip themselves up. Mason’s voice will rise, his eyes will turn into blue lasers, the camera will zoom in on his eyelashes, and he will hammer the witness with the incessant, “ISN’T IT TRUE …?” The witness will break like uncooked spaghetti and confess, proving, “The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him” (Proverbs 18:17).
Generally, false testimony will point to Perry’s innocent client who can be sentenced to the gas chamber if found guilty. The words spoken by a false witness gone unchecked have the power of death. The words spoken by the surprise true witness have the power of life.
This is borne out by a similar proverb: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits” (Proverbs 18:21). All told, in Proverbs as well as the words of Jesus, James, and others, great weight is given to the words we speak.
A “healing” tongue connotes words spoken in kindness, words “seasoned with salt” and grace (Colossians 4:6). These are words that build up the hearer, words fitly spoken (Proverbs 25:11), words of encouragement. Kind words give flavor to life, and draw out the best in people, much like how salt draws out the flavor of choice foods. During a crisis, a kind word can lift the spirits of both the hearer and the speaker. I don’t know of anyone who feels bad after speaking a word of encouragement or compliment. This mask-wearing stuff gets to all of us after a while. I make a point of joking about it with people while waiting in line or being waited on by a cashier. While waiting to drop a small fortune at Lowe’s, I complimented the cashier, and she smiled (I think) and said, “Thank you. That really made my day.” Another time, I asked if the cashier gets freaked out waiting on masked people all day, and she said, “You get used to it. It’s the new normal.” If you know anything about me, “new normal” ranks up there with “awesome” — words that have become bereft of meaning. I said, “This is not the ‘new normal;’ it’s the new ‘abnormal.’ We’ll be back to normal soon.” She agreed and we cheered.
A perverse (twisted) tongue can hurt people, and does anyone ever really feel better after berating or discouraging someone? We eat the fruits of what we say. “Hard words indeed break no bones, but many a heart has been broken by them” (Matthew Henry).
We are bombarded with tens of thousands of words every day, and can get swept up in the wave of the current emotional climate of foreboding and crisis. “We’re all gonna die!” True or not, when burdens are heaviest is when we need to lighten our spirits and speak words of grace. Prayer: “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” (Psalm 141:3)
-Alan Allegra
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