Wisdom: The Principle ThingSample

Wise Words

There is a unifying theme that threads throughout the whole of Proverbs, and it’s the idea that there is a distinction between the way the righteous and the wicked live their lives, as well as between the outcome of those lifestyles.

Proverbs 18 pinpoints the power of words as it plays a huge part in this overarching contrast between righteousness and wickedness - or more specifically, between wisdom and foolishness. The majority of its verses emphasize that there are not only consequences to what we speak, but also to how, when, and why we speak. Proverbs 18 teaches that our words obviously say something about the subject we’re speaking on, but even more than that, they say something about us and our character. I can use my mouth to promote, pursue, and demonstrate wisdom, or I can use it to make a fool of myself.

We may live in a society that glorifies isolation and the ideas of the individual, but if we walk in the way that Scripture promotes, we will instead value communal wisdom, loving correction, and personal humility.