Good As Gold
Good As Gold
Proverbs 25:11-12 NKJV
11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold
In settings of silver.
12 Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold
Is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear.
Gold carries a great amount of value. At the time of this writing, gold is selling for around 4,060 dollars an ounce. In January of this year, it hit right at 5600 dollars per ounce. No, gold is not losing value. When Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs, roughly 3000 years ago, gold was a high value precious metal that worked as currency. So when gold is referred to as an example of genuine worth, we are not having to stretch to make the correlation from ancient value to its value today.
Solomon was a king who appreciated gold. During his forty-year reign, gold was in such abundance that silver lost some of its value and allure. When Solomon is using gold as a measurement of value, we should pay attention.
In our verses for today, Solomon declares that a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. The idea is a word spoken at the right time. We might say a timely word. The NLT says, “Timely advice is lovely.” When a good word comes to us that speaks to the moment and the situation we are in, it’s a high-value word. It’s a beautiful thing.
Many years ago, we were living in North Carolina as a family. We had attempted to start a church but realized we had missed the Lord’s leading and backed off. I was working for my father in what was really a mercy hiring. It was a low time in our lives. The phone rang one evening, and Pastor John Osteen called to find out how the church was going. When I explained that we shut it down, he gave a timely high-value word. “Alan, come on back, you are not a failure, you are a learner.” Those were words that were worth more than gold to us. We eventually made it back to Texas, and those words helped us return.
Solomon goes on to describe how, when a person corrects us, it can be high value. Like a golden earring or a golden ornament. The key to value in this case is that the person actually receives the correction and acts accordingly. Proverbs speaks of the people who refuse correction and even warns against a wise person trying to straighten this kind of person out. Correct a wise person, and he will love you; correct the scornful, skeptical person, and he will hate you. This has a lot to say about the willingness to receive correction. To the wise person, correction, even strong correction, is high value.
Too often, we have relegated high-value words to those words that affirm us. And there is certainly value there. But we mustn’t overlook the corrective words. In many cases, these are the words that do us the most good in the long run.
Words are important. They can carry love, hate, fear, or faith. Words of wisdom are high-value words that can make a difference in our lives.
Prayer
Lord help me to receive timely words and words that correct me. Your words are of the highest value in my life. Even better than gold.