Proverbs 16:24 Commentary and Bible Study

In this world which is under the curse and subject to miseries and trials of every sort, in which man’s cruelty to man is so pronounced and genuine concern for the welfare of others is so rare, pleasant words, words of kindness, are very special. If they are sincere they prove the existence of another spirit that is sympathetic, a soul that cares for someone other than themselves, and it is that caring and kind spirit that is the thing of real value. From such a spirit, more words of kindness will flow, and those words will come from kind thoughts and be accompanied by kind actions. How seldom do we meet with another human being who is prepared to pay any cost to help others. Some even among unbelievers may do so, but the good they can do to others is limited, while the mercy and grace that it is in the heart of a believer brings blessing in this world and the world to come. So pleasant words are a marker of a pleasant spirit, and since a thing is valued both for what it is and for its scarcity, this brings us the greatest encouragement. Satan has not succeeded in completely stamping out all human kindness. That kindness which is either a remnant of common grace, or the result of the new birth, comes from God and is characteristic of the new society which God will create in heaven. He will not allow a single lie into that perfect place, and all those that we meet there will have grace in their hearts. How different that will be to the society of this world where he stiffen our resolve to meet with constant hardness, and indifference, and positive hatred of men and women. Truely pleasant words come only from the hearts of those who know God and are subject to his rule over them. They have seen his kindness, and the same grace has entered their own hearts which they have seen in him. They become an oasis to all around them, and they give out rather than just taking in.Pleasant words therefore bring sweetness to the soul of the hearer and they may be the only thing that can do so. There are those who put up resistance to any approach that they judge to be threatening. They bar the door and blockade the soul. But the gentle word may find an entrance to their hearts for they perceive no threat in it. It comes to them as a harmless thing and therefore it is allowed in and given access to the whole house of the soul. It may thus be enabled to do much good. Broken bones of the soul represent deep seated wounds that have shaken the structure of the whole man and brought him close to collapse. But kind words can heal even these wounds. They may therefore be more powerful and do more good than forceful words or aggressive words, or threatening words. Let us learn the art of speaking gently in a way that expresses genuine concern for others in their trials and needs.