James 1:19-21

TO LISTEN IS BETTER THAN TO SPEAK

Text 1:19-21

19.

Ye know this, my beloved brethren, But let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

20.

for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

21.

Wherefore putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Queries

60.

Should the first two phrases of James 1:19 go with the portion that follows, or actually go with the statements that went before? (The clue is in the context.. which did they already know?)

61.

Swift to hear what?

62.

Slow to speak what? (Is he speaking of hearing and speaking a specific thing, or giving general instruction for getting along with people? Note what follows immediately.)

63.

To whom is the wrath of man in James 1:20 directed? (Man, or God?)

64.

Is the statement of James 1:20 a general truth, or are there some notable exceptions to the rule?

65.

Is righteous indignation the same as wrath of man?

66.

Does overflowing of wickedness imply there can be some wickedness without having an overflow of it? (Note: King James has superfluity of naughtiness.)

67.

The meekness of James 1:21 is contrasted with what other characteristic of personality in this section of Scripture?

68.

What kind of word is an implanted word?

Paraphrases

A. 19.

You already know it is better to be a good listener than a good speaker, dear brothers, and control your temper:

20.

For an angry man is not doing what God wants him to do.

21.

Therefore, strip off the filthy garments of sin and stop sin's overflowing of wickedness upon you; gratefully receive the inborn word of God through which you have salvation.

B.*19.

Dear brothers, don-'t ever forget that it is best to listen much, speak little, and not become angry;

20.

For anger doesn-'t make us good, as God demands that we must be.

21.

So get rid of all that is wrong in your life, both inside and outside, and humbly be glad for the wonderful message we have received, for it is able to save our souls as it grows in our hearts.

Summary

We would get along better if we would learn to listen rather than giving vent to our anger, which is unrighteous, and should be put away along with all of sin's contamination. It is the only way we can have salvation through the word we have received in our hearts.

Comment

The admonition to be swift to hear has several applications. The most obvious, however, is determined by the grammatical construction. The reference is general; that we learn more while listening than while speaking (James 1:21). Some may even include the speaking as a teacher in James 3:1, which though permissible, does not seem to be the context here. Since slow to speak is coupled with swift to hear, the two seem to be put in natural contrast. Since in James 1:21-22 James speaks of hearing the word, some may feel the subject is introduced here: be swift to hear the Word of God. This is not likely, however, for the man would likewise be cautioned to be slow to speak to God; and quite obviously the anger described is directed toward man, not God.

Some may ponder what is known by the beloved brethren. J. W. Roberts seems to indicate James is saying: Ye know this (that we are begotten by the Word of Truth) my beloved brethren, but (let me say something new), let every man be swift to hear, etc. James could also be saying, Ye know this, but I shall say it anyway.

The wrath of James 1:19 also seems to be ordinary anger, i.e., lack of self-control against one's brother, or against any man. This is quite different from the righteous indignation one may have in sympathy with God's character and Divine will. Self-control seems to increase righteous indignation, but will overcome anger. Further, the statement of James 1:20 makes clear the wrongness of the wrath herein mentioned.

The wrath of man is so obviously an enemy of personality, of reasoning, of attainment, that it seems superfluous to mention it here. Yet, James does mention it; and he does not drop the subject. The bulk of an entire chapter is spent on the misuse of the tongue. Perhaps, the fallacy of anger is obvious because it is so common. And yet, since it is so common, all the more we need the additional warning here. The high emotional state of one in intense anger makes reasoning almost impossible. Under the influence of this state of anger, one will often do and say things he will forever regret. Anger, which robs one of his reasoning and inhibition, can be as sinful as narcotics or alcohol, which does the same thing.

The admonition of James certainly does indicate that man can do something about his tendency to anger. By willpower and self-control one can, with the help of God, overcome most terrible habits in this loss of self-control. This is a subject that needs much teaching, much admonition, and certainly much self-control. One so afflicted should prayerfully seek help of the Lord. But why, we may ask, do people become angry so easily.. especially when they know it is profitless?

James seems to sense the question, for he answers it immediately in James 1:21. Anger is most easily provoked when the inconsistencies of one's life is laid bare. When the wrongness of a man's action is made clear, that man will usually do one of two things: (1) He will repent, therefore correcting the wrong and ridding himself of the embarrassment of the inconsistency; or (2) He will become angry about the situation, thus dulling his reasoning capacity so that he no longer is facing the embarrassment. When deeds and conscience conflict, one may change the deeds or dull the conscience. Repentance changes the deeds. Anger dulls the reasoning capacity, thus the conscience. Often this is the psychology behind one who vigorously attacks the preacher, or behind one who is constantly fighting the church, or even angry with God. This accounts for the stoning of Stephen, and the Old Testament stoning of the prophets. In fact, it is the unrepented sins that crucified Jesus.

Consequently, the Godly way to rid oneself of the anger-provoking situation is to repent. Putting away filthiness is the language of removing filthy clothing, or cleansing dirt from the body. The superfluity of naughtiness (King James) is weak here. For the naughtiness (wickedness) is wicked every drop, Any of the wickedness causes an overflowing of filth that needs removal. On this occasion overflowing of wickedness is the better reading. Any sin overflows and, like leaven, contaminates the whole.
The only alternative to this anger-provoking situation is to let God have His way. and the Sword of the Spirit cuts the sin which we willingly remove from our lives; and hence our souls are saved!