Proverbs 16:24
Submitted By Pam Burton
Proverbs 16:24 “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”
Words are powerful!
Our words can harm or build up.
God spoke the world into existence by His very word.
Words have the power to wound or bring healing (Proverbs 12:18).
There is potential harm in the very act of speaking.
Of necessity we must guard our mouths and speak truthfully with grace with the intention of blessing others.
We are to be motivated by Christ in the way we speak. James 3:5–6 tells us: “the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. Behold how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.”
These verses are sober admonitions written for us by James the half brother of Jesus.
In Matthew 12:36, Jesus tells us, “and I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for in the day of judgment.”
That word ‘careless’ means idle, or useless, or non-working.
David wrote a simple prayer in Psalm 141:3 “set a guard, oh Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.”
It is so vital to guard what we say.
Solomon also wrote about guarding our speech. Proverbs 21:23 “he who guards his mouth and his tongue, guards his soul from troubles.”
If we do not practice this, we will invite trouble.
Proverbs 10:19 “when there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.”
The practical application for this is to say little in a thoughtful way.
In Ephesians 4:25 the apostle Paul admonishes us to speak truthfully: “therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.”
We should speak in order to bless the other person.
Proverbs 16:24 “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”
Our words can be as honey. Honey has a sweet taste and built-in healing properties. Honey has antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties.
It can be used as a wound dressing to promote rapid and improved healing.
If our speech is motivated by Christ, then we can show the love of God to others as He has loved us so graciously.