Do you see someone who speaks in haste?

“Do you see someone who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for them.” (Proverbs 29:20)

 

Speaking rapidly in speed and speaking with impatient mind are different each other. Being impatient means not being calm. The brain of people talking speedily usually have quick rotations. But that I say doesn’t mean that a slow speaker’s brain is shortage. One of the characteristics of modern people is that they are being in very impatience. In the society where everything rapidly develops and changes, the impatience seems to be getting worse due to anxiety that one’s ability seems to be lagging behind than others. One thing important we have to know, those who are impatient in talking have rather hopeless than those who are foolish.

 

This verse that points out the problem of impatience in talking and James 1:19 “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,” say a same meaning. The Proverbs is the Book of wisdom, and the essence of wisdom that the Bible says is the faith of awe to Jehovah. So to tell reversely, someone who is not wise is a foolish man, and a pitiable man who does not know God. In case of hearing this, there will be more than a little people who will be angry. Because in a world where most of people show off own pride self with disregarding others, they get dislike when they hear that they are pathetic or pitiable. When Nicodemus, who visited Jesus, heard, “no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again,” he asked again, “How can someone be born when they are old?” He must have been puzzled because he couldn’t understand the words of being reborn. He was a well-informed teacher, but he was only a child in the case the spiritual dimension of faith. Therefore, he was only a man of no faith who was still in a state of spiritual stupidity.

People who are impatient to speak do not have a presence of mind to listen to others. But it could be said all men and all things are warehouses of wisdom. Because all of them are creatures made by God, the fountainhead of wisdom. In Psalms 19:1, David confessed, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Paul the Apostle also said in Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.” We can also find God’s creative ability, righteousness and holiness through spirituality of man. An important reason to listen to others and to look at everything in the universe is here.

If we listen carefully everything and look well, anything can be understood and get right answer from there. On the contrary, if we don’t listen to others and just say what own say, the side effects, let alone solving the problem, increase. We thus have to know a man who is impatient talking is one more foolish than a fool. If we avoid impatience by following upon God in the word, anybody will get good results. James the apostle also asked us, to do slow to speak and slow to become angry. But he said, listening quickly is desirable for us. To listen quickly here means that we should listen carefully. We need to be functionally quick to hear fast, but that’s not what it meant here. The verse means, listen carefully without any other thoughts. But how is the attitude that people show generally? They are too busy putting own words to others than to listen to others’. As the result, people gradually will be more fallen into selfish mistake.

Being stubborn or loud to others doesn’t make oneself to win a fight. Rather listening calmly and organizing own thoughts and making reasonable arguments can make oneself win to beat others. What does winning mean for Christians’ life? It refers meaning to the achievement of the purpose of God’s righteousness.

 

Those who follow Jesus listening to His words are the soldiers fighting for God’s righteousness. But they are not soldiers to fight the battle for the blood or flesh. It’s real to live fighting against enemies for all life, but Christian has to go on fighting in good and righteous ways. An important way to win the holy battle is not to speak prematurely and to listen carefully anything and not to be angry. Remember certainly to provoke impatience, hindrance listening, and get angry comes from Satan’s prank.

 

(Written by Koonoh, Pastor of JDO Presbyterian Church in Korea, on Apr 25th 2021)