Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Aesop and a serving of tongue.

Xanthus invited several philosophers of his acquaintance to supper with him; and charges Aesop to make the best provision he could think of for their entertainment. . . .

So soon as ever the guests were set down at the table, Xanthus calls for supper, and expected no less than a very splendid treat.

The first service was [cows] tongues sliced, which the philosophers took occasion to discourse and quibble upon in a grave formal way, as the tongue . . . is the oracle of wisdom, and the like.

Xanthus, upon this, calls for a second course, and after that for a third, and so for a fourth, which were all tongues, over and over again still, only several ways dressed: some boiled, others fried, and some again served up in soup, which put Xanthus into a furious passion.

Thou villain, says he, is this according to my order, to have nothing but tongues upon tongues?

Sir, says Aesop, without any hesitation, since it is my ill fortune to fall under this accusation, I do appeal to all these learned persons, whether I have done well, or ill, and paid that respect to your order which I ought to do.

Your order was, that I should make the best provision that I could think of for the entertainment of these excellent persons, and if the tongue be the key that leads us into all knowledge, what could be more proper and suitable than a feast of tongues for a philosophical banquet?

When Xanthus found the sense of the table to be on Aesop’s side; Well my friends, says he; pray will you eat with me to-morrow, and I’ll try if I can mend your cheer; and Mr. Major-domo, says he to Aesop, let it be the care of your gravity and wisdom to provide us a supper tomorrow, of the very worst things you can think of.

Aesop and a serving of tongue.

Xanthus invited several philosophers of his acquaintance to supper with him; and charges Aesop to make the best provision he could think of for their entertainment. . . .

So soon as ever the guests were set down at the table, Xanthus calls for supper, and expected no less than a very splendid treat.

The first service was [cows] tongues sliced, which the philosophers took occasion to discourse and quibble upon in a grave formal way, as the tongue . . . is the oracle of wisdom, and the like.

Xanthus, upon this, calls for a second course, and after that for a third, and so for a fourth, which were all tongues, over and over again still, only several ways dressed: some boiled, others fried, and some again served up in soup, which put Xanthus into a furious passion.

Thou villain, says he, is this according to my order, to have nothing but tongues upon tongues?

Sir, says Aesop, without any hesitation, since it is my ill fortune to fall under this accusation, I do appeal to all these learned persons, whether I have done well, or ill, and paid that respect to your order which I ought to do.

Your order was, that I should make the best provision that I could think of for the entertainment of these excellent persons, and if the tongue be the key that leads us into all knowledge, what could be more proper and suitable than a feast of tongues for a philosophical banquet?

When Xanthus found the sense of the table to be on Aesop’s side; Well my friends, says he; pray will you eat with me to-morrow, and I’ll try if I can mend your cheer; and Mr. Major-domo, says he to Aesop, let it be the care of your gravity and wisdom to provide us a supper tomorrow, of the very worst things you can think of.

Aesop and a serving of tongue.

Xanthus invited several philosophers of his acquaintance to supper with him; and charges Aesop to make the best provision he could think of for their entertainment. . . .

So soon as ever the guests were set down at the table, Xanthus calls for supper, and expected no less than a very splendid treat.

The first service was [cows] tongues sliced, which the philosophers took occasion to discourse and quibble upon in a grave formal way, as the tongue . . . is the oracle of wisdom, and the like.

Xanthus, upon this, calls for a second course, and after that for a third, and so for a fourth, which were all tongues, over and over again still, only several ways dressed: some boiled, others fried, and some again served up in soup, which put Xanthus into a furious passion.

Thou villain, says he, is this according to my order, to have nothing but tongues upon tongues?

Sir, says Aesop, without any hesitation, since it is my ill fortune to fall under this accusation, I do appeal to all these learned persons, whether I have done well, or ill, and paid that respect to your order which I ought to do.

Your order was, that I should make the best provision that I could think of for the entertainment of these excellent persons, and if the tongue be the key that leads us into all knowledge, what could be more proper and suitable than a feast of tongues for a philosophical banquet?

When Xanthus found the sense of the table to be on Aesop’s side; Well my friends, says he; pray will you eat with me to-morrow, and I’ll try if I can mend your cheer; and Mr. Major-domo, says he to Aesop, let it be the care of your gravity and wisdom to provide us a supper tomorrow, of the very worst things you can think of.

Xanthus’s guests met again the next day according to the appointment; and Aesop had provided them the very same services of tongues and tongues over and over, as they had the night before.

Sirrah (says Xanthus to his servant) what’s the meaning of this; that tongues should be the best of meats one day, and the worst the other?

Why Sir, says he, there is not any wickedness under the sun that the tongue has not a part in.

As murders, treasons, violence, injustice, frauds, and all manner of baseness; for counsels must be first agitated, the matter in question debated, resolved upon, and communicated by words, before the malice comes to be executed in fact.

Tongue whither wilt thou! (says the old proverb) I go to build (says the tongue) and I go to pull down.[1]

Aesop in his wit, illustrates for us the dramatic disparity and potentiality of the tongue.

It can be the foulest and disastrous of any weapon but can as well bring the greatest deal of comfort and healing.

Last week we considered a few of the negative potentials for the tongue.

It can produce crooked and hasty speech.

This week we consider four of the positive potentials for the tongue.

Purpose Statement.

Don’t underestimate the positive potential for the tongue.

We may as believers underestimate the positive potential for our tongue.

We can so fear the negative potential that we become leery of speaking at all.

Maybe we have had numerous negative experiences where our mouth or someone else’s resulted in a lot of harm – maybe to you or because of you.

Because of this, we can become nervous.

While we ought to be cautious, we can’t fear speaking to the point where we don’t take advantage of the wonderful opportunities that we do have with our tongue.

After all, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver” ( ESV).

The tongue can feed the empty heart (10:21).

“The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense” ( ESV).

With the word feed, we are offered the imagery of a shepherd guiding his sheep to a large grassy field or pasture.

Here he guides them to eat and be nourished.

The righteous does this with his words.

His words are a fertile pasture, benefitting those around him.

Understanding lack.

In contrast, “fools die for lack of sense.”

Lack implies poverty and need.

The people of Israel never lacked for manna because God provided for them.

In contrast, the fool always lacks sense.

This word is most often used in the context of a fool lacking wisdom and understanding.

To him who lacks sense she says, “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.

Leave your simple ways, and live” ( ESV).

Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.

( ESV).

In both passages, the fool, who lacks sense, is analogized as one without bread.

In the first, he’s exhorted to “come, eat of my bread,” and in the second, he’s described as not having any bread – obviously in need of it.

Understanding sense.

I was initially puzzled when I learned that the word translated sense in this verse is most often translated as heart in other passages.

We have discussed this Hebrew word (leb) many times in our study of Proverbs.

(1) In chapter 2, in our pursuit of wisdom, we are to incline our heart to understanding.

We are to seek for wisdom with all our heart.

(2) When we defined wisdom in our fifth message, we mentioned that wisdom delivers us from evil people.

In describing those evil people, was mentioned, in which the fool is described as loving his twisted path.

Foolishness brings joy to his heart.

(3) In we are told to trust in the Lord with all of our heart.

(4) In chapter 4, we are exhorted to watch over our hearts, for from it flows the springs of life (4:23).

(5) Our discussion last week on the negative potential of the tongue included the idea that hasty speech reveals the internal character of our heart.

In each of these cases, we understood heart to refer to the totality of man’s immaterial and inner being, the seat of his affections.

Why then is that the word used here in ?

To answer that, let me offer a personal translation of the verse.

“The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die because their hearts are empty (they are empty because they have no bread to offer).”

Lips of the righteous feed many.

It is this deficit of substance, it is this need and lack of wisdom within the fool, that offers the righteous an opportunity to feed.

The second phrase in this verse concerning the empty heart within the fool, offers an implication for the wise or righteous.

Their hearts are full.

Their inner person is full and capable of feeding others.

In similar fashion to woman wisdom who calls out to the fool, “To him who lacks understanding, come and eat of my food and drink of my wine” ().

She has plenty for herself and for others.

And what is it she offers them?

God’s Word, a revelation of himself and his desires for his people.

Paul makes a similar reference in 1 Corinthians.

“I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it” ( ESV).

We, like woman wisdom, can have a full heart that produces words that feed many.

The proclamation of God and His Word is food.

It feeds those with empty hearts as well as anyone else.

Wisdom is an overflowing source of life sustaining nourishment.

“The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook” ( ESV).

The tongue can encourage the troubled heart (12:25, 16:24).

“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad” ( ESV).

“Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body” ( ESV).

An encouraging word can lift the burdensome weight of life that we each carry at one point of another.

A kind word is sweet to our soul.