Silence is Good

A common way of sinning with the tongue is to talk a lot, aimlessly. This kind of verbal scribbling is certain to lead to tangles, problems, and difficulties. Scripture says, “He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit. Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding” (Prov. 17:27-28). The flip side of this is that silence often has a healing effect–much like a refusal to pour gasoline on a fire already raging. The man of knowledge, Solomon says, is sparing with his words. This mark of wisdom is striking enough that when a fool adopts it, even he may be thought wise. We have a related proverb in English–it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. When it comes to aimless chatter, silence really is golden.