When words are many, sin is not absent,

but he who holds his tongue is wise. Prov 10:19

Pleasant words are a honeycomb,

sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Prov 16:24

A rebuke impresses a man of discernment

more than a hundred lashes a fool. Prov 17:10

An honest answer

is like a kiss on the lips. Prov 24:26

A word aptly spoken

is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Prov 25:11

Jesus powerfully underscored the immense power of words to shape our destiny. Speaking of the final judgment, he said, "By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned" (Mt 12:37). He was reflecting a similar idea found in Proverbs 18:21: "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit."

Our previous study displayed the awesome power for evil which words have. But they also have an awesome power for good. For all that, words are not magic; their power lies not so much in themselves as it does in the characters of those who speak them and those who hear them. In this study, you’ll uncover some of the ways you can wisely fashion words for wholesome ends.

1. Would you describe yourself as a person of few or many words? Explain.

2. Read the proverbs above. Proverbs 10:19 insists that the mere quantity of words produces sin. The best words, then, are often those we never say. In what kind of situation are you apt to be most wordy?

3. Why do you think that quantity alone is sufficient to generate sin from our words?

4. What strategy might you employ to reduce or eliminate your wordiness? (Hint: don’t ignore the help that a friend or spouse can provide in these settings.)

5. Flattery is meant to be pleasant. How, then, can we  distinguish flattery from the pleasant words Proverbs 16:24 talks about?

6. It’s simple to understand how a deserved rebuke benefits a person with discernment. Imagine, however, that you receive an unjust or unfair rebuke. How might you still profit from it?

7. Take the previous situation one step further—how might onlookers benefit from observing how you profited from an unjust rebuke?

8. Ordinarily we exchange kisses on the lips only with special people in our lives. What characteristics distinguish these people from others we know?

9. Proverbs 24:26 likens kisses to honest answers. How are the answers and the kisses alike? (Note: honest in Proverbs 24:26 has the sense of straightforward or candid).

10. Proverbs 25:11 compares apt words with a work of art wrought from gold and silver. What characteristics do they have in common?

11. Think of one or two people you know whose speech is good. How do the ways they express themselves demonstrate one or more of the proverbs listed in this study?

12. Now that you have surveyed what the proverbs say about good and bad speech, which do you think is easier—to rid yourself of unwholesome speech habits or to build wholesome speech habits? Explain.