Day 22: Slow To Speak, Quick To Listen

Dear friend,

We’ve arrived at the last 'disease' of the tongue, number six: Hastiness of Speech.

“Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” (Proverbs 29:20 (NAS))

This verse says if we are hasty in our words, our condition is worse than that of a fool. That is a solemn statement because the Bible has nothing good to say about the fool.

There is one example in Scripture of a man who was hasty in his words just once and tells of the price it cost him. The man was Moses. He was told by God to go ahead of the children of Israel, speak to a rock, and it would bring forth water. But he was so angry with the children of Israel that he said to them, "You rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" Then, instead of speaking to the rock, he smote it. (See Numbers 20:7-12.) That act of disobedience, expressed in hasty words, cost him the privilege of leading the children of Israel into the Promised Land. This is described in Psalm 106:32-33.

“They [the children of Israel] angered him [Moses] also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes: Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips.” (KJV)

Notice the diagnosis. A provoked spirit causes us to speak unadvisedly with our lips and these hasty words cost us many privileges and blessings. If Moses had to pay that price for that one hasty statement, let us beware that we do not also say things hastily which will cost us dearly in the spiritual realm.