Proverbs 18:21

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

The book of Proverbs primarily written by King Solomon is one of the most powerful books of the Bible. It is filled with spiritual rules and principles that we need to know in order to stay ahead of the devil’s tactics against us! God’s Word is meant to guide us, correct us, and instruct us on how we are to live as believers of Jesus Christ. 

We can see Solomon’s wisdom in this verse of Scripture, he is making it known to us that death and life is in what you say. It is meant to be taken literally. The fact of the matter is that you can create curses or blessings over your life based off of the words spoken out of your mouth. That is why it is so important to guard your tongue from speaking hurtful and harmful words.

It is vital that you allow the Word of God to cleanse your heart and mind because it will reflect in the things that you say. The Lord tells us in Proverbs 23:7 “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…” He also mentions the importance of having a pure heart in Matthew 12:34 when it states, “…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

So it is inevitable, evil things will come out of an evil person that has a perverse tongue and lies will come out of a person that has a lying tongue. We have to be very careful about what we let marinate in our human spirit because if it is negative it will eventually have an adverse effect on us.

That is why this spiritual law that God is showing us in this passage is so important. It gives us the understanding that speaking positively will bring positive outcomes and speaking negatively will bring you negatives ones. The words of a wise man will be carefully thought out and will promote healthy conversations.

Proverbs 10:31 discloses, “The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut out.” You can tell if a person spends time in the Word of God: studies it, digests it, and applies it to their daily life because of the wise words that are spoken and their ability to restrain their tongue.

Then the Lord lets us know how we’re supposed to handle a person that speaks foolish words. Proverbs 26:4 details, “Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
lest you also be like him.” In other words a fool’s mouth with speak foolish words and if you engage in their senselessness, you are just as unwise as they are.

Now that we have an idea of just how powerful the words that you speak truly are let’s take a look at the verse of Scripture that I am highlighting in the book of Proverbs. The word “death” is the Hebrew word “māveṯ” which means: death and dying. The words “and life” is the Hebrew word “ḥay” which means: living, alive.

We can see the direct contrast that the Lord is showing us between having the power of life and having the power of our own death simply by what we say. The fruit of the lips discloses everything: a good man will bring forth good treasure and an evil man will bring forth evil treasure. Solomon points out that it truly boils down to the heart of a man.

The last part of this verse that is definitely worth highlighting is when Solomon states, “…and those who love it will eat its fruit.” The fruit that he is referring to is dependent on what the person is speaking. If nothing but negativity and curses come out of your mouth, that is exactly what you are digesting and that is the fruit that you will bear. On that contrary if you speak positive words and blessings over you and your family, that is what you are digesting and the fruit that you bear will be positive and fruitful.

So when we put it in the simplest terms we can conclude: a fool’s lips will speak foolish words and wise lips will provide others with a wellspring of wisdom like a flowing brook. One of the smallest members of our body has great power and most Christians don’t even realize it.

James 3:4-5 explains it perfectly when he states, “Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.”

He is revealing to us the similarities between a rudder on a ship and a tongue on a human being. The rudder is small but can move a ship in any direction. Likewise the tongue is little but it is such a powerful thing that it can literally change the entire course of life simply by words that are spoken.

That is why it is so imperative that we get into the Word of God for ourselves and understand the Lord’s spiritual laws and regulations. One that goes hand in hand with Proverbs 18:21 is the spiritual law of reaping what you sow; there is no way of getting around that one, Galatians 6:7-8. If you sow negative words and actions that is what you will produce; if you sow positivity and love that is what you will produce.

Let your mouth be a mouth that praises the Lord, prays for your family, and speaks the promises of God over your life and your loved ones. Be the one that will intercede for everyone when nobody else is. Be the example that others can look at and say, “There is just something different about you!”

One thing that we need to make sure that we fully understand is what word curses actually are. It will prevent you from unknowingly placing word curses over your life and your family’s lives by what verbiage you are selecting to use.