Proverbs 18:21 (NKJV)

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Bible Commentary

Proverbs 18:21 is a Bible verse that teaches us about the power of our words.

Let’s look at a perfect example from Jesus about the power of our words. You might remember the lesson of the withered fig tree in Mark 11:12-14, 20-24.

Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.¹³And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.”

And His disciples heard it.

Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. ²¹And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.”

²²So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. ²³For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. ²⁴Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

It’s interesting that this is a story about words of death, and not life. When we think of Jesus’ lessons, we usually think of healing and life, so why would He give us an example about words of death?

Is it because we tend to speak words of death ourselves? Is it because our human nature overrides our better judgment, and we condemn and complain?

Look what happened when Jesus cursed the fig tree. It dried up from the roots and withered away. Think about what we are doing when we criticize and condemn one another.

Unlocking the Truth – A Healthy Soul

Galatians 5:15 says, “But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!”

We are bombarded in the world every day with powerfully critical and condemning words—both written and verbal—not only in the media, but in everyday entertainment programs.

What we hear is what we speak. Just look at the example of a young toddler, imitating his father and mother. It doesn’t change when we get older. What we take in, we speak out.

Proverbs 18:21 says there is both death and life in the power of the tongue. So how do we hear and receive life if we’re surrounded by words of death every day? God’s Word, the… click to continue reading