Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
“He who restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.” Proverbs 17:27-28
This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible; and I’m being completely serious. Quite often in my life, I have assumed the opposite of this proverb. Being a wise person has always been a goal of mine and as I’ve gotten older, I have sought to speak and to be heard as wise. I have noticed that people who are wise say wise things. So, I have assumed the correlation there, that to be wise, one must sound wise. This passage insists that I was entirely wrong.
People who are wise, aren’t looking for opportunities to say something. They’re not the kind of people whose voice you hear frequently. Solomon insists that it is a cool spirit that goes along with wisdom and understanding. It’s the guy (or gal) who can sit quietly, even in a conversation that is riling everyone else up that is wise. Moreover, we already know this. Solomon points to the truth: we assume a person is wise if they’re quiet. Even if they’ve never said anything that displays deep understanding, their mere silence suggests wisdom to us.
For years, I’ve sought to be wise, but often I fear I’m more foolish than I care to admit. This passage, however, gives me hope. Until the day I attain more wisdom (if that day ever comes) I can at least appear wise through one simple discipline: closing my mouth.
