Proverbs 29:20

New International Version (NIV)

Do you see someone who speaks in haste?
    There is more hope for a fool than for them.

For Meditation

He should have kept quiet and pondered over what the Lord said. But he ran his mouth. Simon Peter’s story is our story. It is a cautionary tale about the dangers of speaking without thinking.

Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison or to death (Lk. 22:33).

What the Lord told Peter was a testament to His grace, a grace always available to us in our moments of weakness.

Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail (31-32).

Peter needed that, for a day was coming when he would painfully deny three times that he knew his Master. It would be his weakest moment, and he needed grace to sustain him, and the tone of the Master was soothing and full of it.

Impetuous Peter, however, was true to his nature and responded hastily.

Even if all fall away, I will not (Mk. 12:29).

Paradoxically, Peter denied Jesus even then. To refute Jesus’ word is to reject Him. Unfortunately, we do so often, especially when pressed to the corner, and we struggle to look good.

Ever gracious Jesus answered, 

I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me (Lk. 22:34).

Why would anybody contrast God? How could anyone deny the prediction of Jesus, who is the Truth and All-knowing? Peter could do that with everybody else, but not the One he had earlier confessed as the Messiah, Son of the living God (Matt. 16:16), and witnessed the revelation of His glory on the Mt. of Transfiguration (17:2).

We don’t get it completely concerning Jesus until we come to the empty tomb. His words may hit us with the freshness and power of God, and we may marvel at them. We may experience His miracles, healing, and deliverance daily. Still, until we come to grips with the reality of His resurrection as a daily experience, we cannot live in the new life He gives with renewed minds. We will deny Him when it counts most.

We look so pathetic when we adorn our self-justification garbs. Unfortunately, our hasty responses reveal our folly in places we often live to regret them. Peter regretted the day he denied Jesus three times during His trial before the High Priest (22:60-62). When we truly embrace the reality of His resurrection and allow the Holy Spirit to empower us, it can transform our lives just as Peter’s was.

As believers in the resurrection and recipients of the Spirit of Truth, we must listen to and study His word to ensure our responses to life’s challenges align with His teachings.

Proverbs 29:20 says:

Do you see someone who speaks in haste?

There is more hope for a fool than for them (Prov. 29:20).

So, silence it! Take the counsel of James 1:19 and bring along self-control, which the Holy Spirit freely gives when you yield to Him. It will empower you to conceal your folly, giving you a sense of control and empowerment.

Shalom