words

Reading Adrian Warnock’s blog yesterday, I saw that he strongly endorses the English Standard Version (ESV), and he offers some sound reasons for making it the text from which he studies and preaches. I’ve had the ESV on my handheld for several years, but I have looked at it only occasionally; I primarily read the New International Version (NIV) because that’s what I grew up with.

This morning, I decided to read in the ESV, and I was delighted with what I found. The language was fine, but what excited me were the cross-references (I should note that these do not seem to be available in the online version). I chose Proverbs 15 for my reading, because this chapter and a few following have a lot of statements about speech, and I need some review to get my words in order. Here’s what 15:1 says:

A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.

The reference for “harsh word” is 1 Samuel 25:10, right in the middle of the story of David and Nabal. If you want a great illustration of how harsh words stir up anger, this is it. Here’s the short version: David and his soldiers protected Nabal’s shepherds, and so David asks Nabal for some food in thanks for the service. Nabal refuses (harshly) and David is so angry that he sets out to kill Nabal and all the men in his employ. Abigail, Nabal’s wife, is alerted to what is happening, and she intervenes, saving both herself and David from the negative consequences of David’s anger.

The reference for “soft answer” took me to Judges 8:1–3; here, the men of Ephraim are angry that Gideon didn’t include them in the attack on Midian. Gideon’s answer is masterful, and the conflict is ended before it has a chance to escalate.

I’ve had all too many opportunities to witness the negative power of a harsh word, but the Nabal story takes this a step further by showing the chain of consequences. Nabal’s harsh word stirs up David’s anger, and David comes very close to doing a seriously foolish thing. As Abigail frames it, David’s anger could have harmed his rule later in life. We also see that God steps in to take care of the situation, bringing punishment on Nabal by His hand. Finally, Abigail offers a picture of a wisdom and discernment, and her intervention also illustates that “a soft anwers turns away wrath.” Reading 1 Samuel 25 reminds me that one of the ways to keep myself from the harsh word is to step back and consider the bigger picture, to imagine the chain of consequences that is likely to result from anger. Similarly, the few verses from Judges give me a clear picture of what a “soft answer” looks like–making it easier for me to apply.

The importance and power of my words is one of those bedrock truths that the Holy Spirit has taught me, but it never hurts to have reminders, and these passages provide that.

On a side note, I very much like the interface for the ESV Bible Online: it’s well-designed, making the text highly readable, and it includes options to change fonts and other display features. I will definitely be using this again.

Tagged as: anger, Bible translations, David, Gideon, Nabal, speech, words