08/27/2025
Proverbs 29:20 NKJV
Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Have you ever said something without thinking about what you said?
We’ve all jumped to conclusions at times and responded too quickly to situations with thoughtless words that bring injury and heartache to others and that fracture relationships. We’ve made promises without thinking, not looking ahead enough to know if we can follow through or how we may affect someone if we renege. And sometimes we engage in gossip and say things without stopping to think of the trouble we may create.
If we repeatedly do this, the Bible says that we have less hope than a fool. A fool lacks wisdom, common sense, integrity, and respect for others. It is difficult to rescue a person from the consequence of foolishness. Just visit a jail or prison and you will see.
In our verse, Proverbs 29:20, we see that the Bible says a person who speaks hastily, or without thinking, has less hope than a fool. When we speak words, not thinking, not caring, angrily, and hastily, there is no hope of retrieving those words. The words will never be unspoken. And because of this, much irrevocable damage can result, not only to the person to whom the words are directed, but they will also come back to hurt the speaker, and if the speaker is a Christian, those words will hurt our Lord.
The world tells us that we don’t need to worry about what others think about us. We can speak our mind and do as we please. But God tells us to love others more than ourselves. One way we can show our love to others is with our words, for if we love, we certainly care about how we make others feel and how we affect their lives.
Proverbs 15:1 tells us that “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Wisdom attempts to settle conflicts by understanding situations before speaking, not making impossible promises, or fueling gossip. Foolishness charges forward, escalating problems to unbearable degrees.
There is another verse that will help us to stop and think before we say things that will hurt others or ourselves. James 1:19 says, “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” This verse takes us straight to the character of God himself. As the psalmist says in Psalm 145:8, “The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy.”
So, as we go through our days, let’s listen more than we speak, and only speak after we have given thought to how what we say may affect others, as well as ourselves, and the cause of Christ. Let’s be gracious, full of compassion, and merciful. And let’s extinguish those hasty words with God’s wisdom and love.
