My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
This verse encourages us to be quick to hear. Too often in a conversation, we are just waiting for the other person to finish speaking so that we can jump in with our point of view or words of wisdom. In the same way, we can read the Word of God but not really hear what the Lord is saying. We are encouraged to pay careful heed to the Word of God, to listen intently, and meditate on it. Next, the verse exhorts us to be slow to speak. Many times in life, we discover the folly of opening our mouth and responding in careless haste to the words and actions of others, and too often we react in annoyance or anger only to discover that we had misunderstood the facts of the matter, causing us to regret that we spoke so quickly and reacted so hastily. There are many Scriptures that warn us of the poison that can fall from the tongue and the damage that unguarded words or fiery tempers can produce, which can so often spark a fire that harms so many people. Other Scriptures advise us to guard our lips in what we say and our reactions in all we do, in order to diffuse a situation and not be a cause of a flare up. Being angry is not, in itself, a sin. Indeed, God is angry at sin and it is completely plausible to be angry and not sin. Let us take to heart this verse, and be wise men or women, who are quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, particularly in the things of the Lord. May we be those who really hear the Word of God, meditating on the words of wisdom that come from Scripture. And may our response to God’s voice be seasoned with salt and honoring to our Heavenly Father.
Spiritual Steve 