Words as Weapons, Words as Medicine Text: Proverbs 12:18
Introduction: The War of the Words
Every day, in every conversation, in every home and every church, a war is being fought. This is not a war of bullets and bombs, but it is just as deadly, and the casualties are just as real. It is a war of words. The book of Proverbs is intensely practical, and it understands that the tongue, that small, wet muscle in your mouth, is either a weapon of mass destruction or an instrument of healing. There is no middle ground. There are no conscientious objectors in this war. You are either a swordsman or a physician in every conversation you have.
Our modern world has a sentimental, squishy view of words. "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me," the children used to chant. That is a lie from the pit. Words do not just hurt; they can kill. A lying witness can send an innocent man to his death. A slanderous whisper can destroy a reputation that took a lifetime to build. A rash, angry outburst can sever a friendship permanently. James tells us the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness, set on fire by hell itself (James 3:6). He is not engaging in hyperbole. Words create and destroy worlds. God spoke, and the universe leaped into existence. The serpent spoke, and paradise was lost.
This proverb sets before us a stark and simple contrast. It is a diagnostic tool. With it, we can examine our own speech and the speech of those around us. It presents two kinds of people, defined by the fruit of their lips. There is the one who speaks rashly, whose words are like sword thrusts. And there is the wise one, whose tongue brings healing. You are one or the other. Your speech is either carving people up or it is stitching them back together. Let us therefore attend to this wisdom, that we might learn to be healers in a world full of swordsmen.
The Text
There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise brings healing.
(Proverbs 12:18 LSB)
The Fool as a Swordsman
Let us first consider the fool. The text describes him perfectly.
"There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword..." (Proverbs 12:18a)
The word for "speaks rashly" here carries the idea of babbling, of speaking without thinking. This is not necessarily the man who is plotting malicious slander, though it can include him. This is the thoughtless man. This is the man who "just speaks his mind," without first asking if his mind is worth speaking. His mouth is disconnected from a wise and discerning heart. Because his heart is full of pride, folly, bitterness, and agitation, what comes out of his mouth is the overflow of that toxic reservoir. Jesus said it plainly: "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34).
And what is the effect of this rash speech? It is like "the thrusts of a sword." This is a violent, invasive, and damaging image. A sword thrust is not a gentle tap. It pierces. It cuts. It wounds. It goes deep. Have you ever been on the receiving end of such a word? A cutting remark about your appearance. A sarcastic jab at your incompetence. A flippant dismissal of something you hold dear. A bit of gossip that was shared "for prayer," but which was actually a dagger slid between your ribs. These words wound the soul in a way that a physical blow cannot.
This swordsman comes in many forms. He is the husband who uses sarcasm as his native tongue, cutting away at his wife's confidence with every "joke." He is the woman who spreads gossip over coffee, carving up the reputation of a sister who is not present to defend herself. He is the online commenter, who, under the cloak of anonymity, thrusts his sword into strangers with a recklessness he would never dare to show in person. He is the argumentative man who must win every debate, leaving a trail of wounded and resentful brothers in his wake. He is the fool who says, "I was only kidding," after delivering a mortal wound.
The key here is the thoughtlessness, the rashness. The fool does not consider the consequences. He is a verbal brawler, swinging his sword wildly in a crowded room. He is a danger to the church, a danger to his family, and a danger to himself. His words do not build; they demolish. They do not unite; they divide. They do not heal; they infect.
The Wise as a Physician
In glorious contrast, the proverb then presents the wise man.
"But the tongue of the wise brings healing." (Proverbs 12:18b)
If the fool's tongue is a sword, the wise man's tongue is a surgeon's scalpel in the hands of a master physician. Or better yet, it is a balm, a medicine that soothes, cleanses, and restores. The word for healing here is comprehensive. It means health, remedy, and restoration. The wise do not speak rashly. They speak deliberately. Their words are governed by the law of love and the pursuit of peace.
What does this healing speech look like? It is the word of encouragement to the downtrodden. "Anxious fear brings depression, but a life-giving word of encouragement can do wonders to restore joy to the heart" (Proverbs 12:25). It is a gentle answer that turns away wrath when a fool is looking for a fight (Proverbs 15:1). It is timely, wise counsel given to someone who is confused and walking toward a cliff. It is the careful, truthful rebuke that wounds in order to heal, like a surgeon who must cut to remove a cancer. "Faithful are the wounds of a friend" (Proverbs 27:6).
The wise man understands that words are for building up. Paul commands us, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear" (Ephesians 4:29). Notice the criteria. Is it good for building up? Does it fit the occasion? Will it minister grace to the hearer? The fool asks none of these questions. The wise man asks all of them before he opens his mouth.
This healing tongue is not silent in the face of sin, but it speaks the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). It does not flatter, for flattery is a form of manipulation. It does not gossip, because it refuses to be a peddler of stolen reputations. The wise man's speech is like "apples of gold in a setting of silver" (Proverbs 25:11), both beautiful and valuable. His lips feed many (Proverbs 10:21). His tongue is a tree of life (Proverbs 15:4).
From Swordsman to Healer
The natural state of fallen man is to be a swordsman. Our hearts are full of pride, envy, and malice. And so, our untamed tongues are set on fire by hell. James is not exaggerating when he says that no man can tame the tongue (James 3:8). Left to ourselves, we are all reckless babblers, wounding and being wounded in an endless cycle of verbal violence.
So how does a man trade his sword for a balm? How does a babbler become a physician? The change does not happen by simply trying harder to say nice things. That is just putting lipstick on a pig. The problem is not the tongue; the problem is the heart. A new tongue requires a new heart.
This is precisely what the gospel accomplishes. The ultimate rash word, the ultimate sword-thrust, was when we, in our sin, cried out "Crucify Him!" We took the Word made flesh, the Logos through whom all things were made, and we pierced Him. Our sins were the sword that thrust into His side.
And what was His response? Did He call down legions of angels to answer our violence with greater violence? No. From His pierced lips came the ultimate healing word: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). By His wounds, we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).
Conclusion: The Great Physician's School
When God gives you a new heart through faith in Jesus Christ, He enlists you in the Great Physician's school of medicine. He begins the process of teaching you how to use your words. The Holy Spirit is given to us to produce the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness, all of which are the necessary ingredients for a healing tongue. He gives us His Word, which washes our minds and provides the wisdom we are to speak.
This means that for the Christian, every conversation is an opportunity for sanctification. Before you speak, you must ask yourself: Am I about to pull out a sword, or apply a balm? Am I speaking to win, to wound, to impress? Or am I speaking to build up, to encourage, to minister grace?
Let us confess our sins of the tongue. Let us repent of the times our rash words have pierced those whom Christ died to save. And let us look to Christ, the one whose words are spirit and life. He is the one who can tame our untamable tongues. He is the one who can take us, hell-stoked swordsmen that we are, and by His grace, transform us into wise physicians whose words bring health, and life, and healing to a broken world.