We all know the people who seem to have their mouths moving faster than their brains can keep up with them. These people seem to constantly apologizing for what they say, since most of the time it either embarrasses them, or it hurts other people. What we don’t like to see is that sometimes we’re the same way. Recently, I’ve been in a situation where I have said things without thinking and in anger, and they have hurt the people around me, and they have consequently hurt me in the process. Obviously, the Bible has something to say about hasty words, so let’s take a look at what it says.
Proverbs 14:29 says “He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.” The first part sounds nice, not getting angry quickly shows that we have understanding. However, the second part hurts. I’m pretty sure that most people don’t like their actions regarded as “folly”. But, getting angry quickly is foolish, because anger blinds our judgment and makes it easier for us to do something incredibly stupid. It’s not always easy staying calm, as my experience has demonstrated, but with prayer, it becomes easier.
Proverbs 29:20 has some more to say about hasty speech. It states “Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words there is more hope of a fool than of him”. So, there is more hope for a fool to do something right than for a man who speaks hastily. I’m relatively sure that none of us like the idea of people having more hope for a fool than for us.
Now, so far, these verses have only dealt with haste of speech regarding other people. What does the Bible say about haste in speech with God? Ecclesiastes 5:2 says: “Be not rash with thine mouth, and not let thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God: For God is in heaven, and thou art upon Earth: therefore, let thy words be few.” Boiled down , the verse is saying that God is above us, and that we need to be careful not to say anything foolish to Him. In addition, don’t make promises in haste to God that you can’t keep. Look at the example of the Judge who promised to sacrifice to God the first thing he saw if God let him win a battle. He was greeted by his daughter. Let us learn from that, and not make a vow or a promise to God without thinking it through first.
So, in conclusion, watch your words, think before you speak, and be slow to anger, both with God and with other people. The consequences are not worth it. It’s nigh impossible to take back words after you speak them. For those of us who on the receiving end of hasty speech, remember that we do it as well, and that we should treat them as we would want to be treated.
