Proverbs 13:2 Living on a diet
From the fruit of a man’s mouth he enjoys good, But the desire of the treacherous is violence. Proverbs 13:2 NASB
Rotherham: Of the fruit of his mouth, shall a man eat what is good, but, the soul of the treacherous, [shall be sated with] violence.
Words I speak — any words — are an expression that originates from my soul. Although some expression is grand, like that of skilled musicians, painters, and poets, talking is common. Yet it is no less a presentation of myself. It originates within me and gives clues to so much about me. The intent with which I speak — to express need, pain, pleasure, a command, a plan — has one purpose: to communicate (and connect) with another. Sometimes, even when my intent is good, the hearer receives something I did not intend. Every person has a perception or filter through which they interact with their world, and me. Speaking is easy. Communicating is difficult. It’s not just about framing up something well with grace and removing judgement, but it’s also about understanding the one who is listening. How will she hear it? Is there room for misunderstanding? Although there is no way to nail down perfect commutation, Jesus offers a perfect example — expression immersed in love.
Although there is much good inside of me, what about those still unredeemed parts of my personality? Those areas which are not flattering, filtered, fixed, or covered in grace? In these cases too, my mouth becomes a window to my soul.
For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in [word] what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle his whole body as well.
James 3:2 NASB
James goes on in chapter 3 to elaborate on intent — am I motivated from jealousy and selfish ambition or from the Holy Spirit above? The source is the key to what comes out of my mouth. Yet based on what Solomon says, I may enjoy the good fruit of the words, or seeds, planted in grace and hope in other’s lives. The seeds I choose to plant are the very nuggets of truth and goodness that God has planted in me. Values and wisdom which have not been choked out by an earthly desire to crush my opponent and come out on top.
Solomon compares the fruit of the mouth to the desire of the treacherous. Treachery is the ready disposition to betray trust, to turn from relationships of brotherhood and camaraderie. At his core he is deceptive and unreliable — feigning the opposite of what he expresses. The Hebrew root means: to cover, as clothing covers, but in the sense of hiding or acting covertly and deceitfully. Treachery comes from the same source as good words — the heart. The result of treachery is violence. When one is betrayed, although it may result in physical harm the recipient feels both physical and emotional violence. Like a punch in the gut, it takes the wind out of me. I didn’t see it coming. The one I thought I could rely upon turned on me. Psychiatrists doing a study on family trauma found unimaginable evidence that in nearly every case of mental illness, there was a connection with an unsafe environment at home. What happens when a parent or a sibling sexually violates the one they should be protecting? Imagine what Jesus felt like after choosing Judas Iscariot, loving and mentoring him. He invited him to the inner circle of the 12 in which he could experience and observe the coming Presence and Power of the kingdom. Then, through whatever disillusionment that Judas’ experienced, he yielded to temptation — for money. Although the crucifixion was violent, even more so was the damage to the Son of Man’s heart. Physical violence is only the clothing that a heart wears when dominating another relationally.
Daily my heart has choices which present themselves as a Y in the road. One path leads to goodness, loving my neighbor, building my family, friends and community. The other path leads to egocentric, self-serving ambition. It attempts to satisfy my desire at the expense of another. I must pause at that Y and recognize what it is and make a choice. What is best? How may I experience good and not violence? There is only one way and it’s not only deciding to be a good woman or man. It’s killing the good man — because my intent will never get me where I want to go. Rather, it is picking up my cross and following in Christ’s footsteps daily. It’s remembering that I was buried with him symbolically when I was immersed in water and today I am able to live a new life in which the Holy Spirit has a predominant input. Not because he is a despot, but because I need Him. He is much better at navigating the land mines of life than I am.
Every time I speak to another I may think of it as daily assessment testing, like schools perform annually. Am I enjoying the good? Or do people run for cover or clam up when I am around?
It is by grace that I am deeply satisfied by my meals — even when I am a work in progress.