QUICK AND SLOW
James 1:19-21
INTRODUCTION: James goes into the next passage saying, “Take note of this” (listen up, pay attention). Not that anything James had said up until this point isn’t important but he’s indicating that what he is about to write is something he doesn’t want his readers to misunderstand or ignore. And with good reason because being quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry are attributes that matter a great deal in our everyday living. Following these principles can avert a lot of trouble and accomplish much good in our own lives and in the lives of others.
1) Quick to listen and slow to speak (vs. 19a). What will help us to do this?
• Practice silence. Being silent means I’m listening to you. Listen and silent have the same letters. Practicing silence means I’m not thinking about what I’m going to come back at you with. What does silence create? It creates the opportunity to observe. When I’m silent I can see what’s going on around me. I can observe your body language. I’ll be able to notice the pain you’re feeling. It creates the opportunity to think. I can adequately reflect and process what I’m seeing and hearing. Giving myself over to silence creates the opportunity to silence my anger. In silence my anger can be subdued. Prov. 18:13, “He who answers before listening-that is his folly and his shame.” Why? Because when we speak before we listen we will say something we regret, we will say something foolish, we will make erroneous judgments we will damage our witness. If we are going to be quick to listen and slow to speak we need to practice silence.
• Desire to learn. Being quick to listen and slow to speak shows that I am willing to learn. It shows that I desire to gain knowledge, insight and wisdom. God gave us two ears and one mouth that we would listen twice as much as we speak. However, for some of us our mouth is open twice as much as our ears are. We have the tendency to get caught up in wanting to show how much we know. This isn’t necessarily a good thing. We are too quick to share our ideas, opinions and beliefs, sometimes with only a limited knowledge of the subject. Then we risk speaking non-truths and potentially misleading someone. This is especially dangerous when speaking on the word of God. We have to be careful that if we are stating what we believe scripture is saying that we clarify it. “I think this means…” you may be right; you may not be. No matter what the subject is, no matter what the situation is, we can’t go wrong by being slow to speak what’s on our mind.
2) Slow to anger (vs. 19b-20). What will help us to be slow to anger?
• Practicing the former will accomplish the latter. I can’t be quick tempered and quick to listen at the same time. I can’t be quick tempered and slow to speak at the same time. If I am a quick tempered person then it shows that I am not willing to listen. If I’m quick tempered then I will also be quick to speak. And if my tongue wags when my anger flares I am in trouble. Interestingly, if instead we would be quick to hear and slow to speak there would be less anger. If we were quick to hear and slow to speak we would automatically be slow to anger. So we see that practicing one often takes care of the other. One of the reasons for this is that upon listening to someone or watching a situation unfold we learn something that resolves the anger that was stirring up inside of us. The person says something that gives us understanding. The situation goes on and it suddenly takes a turn for the better and because we were patient and slow to speak and quick to listen, and also being quick to observe and slow to react, we see our anger appeased in the outcome. Being quick to listen and slow to speak will result in being slow to anger.
• The art of restraint. Proverbs 17:27, “A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered.” Being slow to speak and slow to anger means we need to learn the art of restraint. Because if we don’t learn the art of restraint, there are going to be serious consequences. Prov. 14:17 says that a quick-tempered man does foolish things. People who fly into a rage always make a bad landing. And these consequences are not just for us but also for those who are on the receiving end of our anger. A lady once came to Billy Sunday and tried to rationalize her angry outbursts. “There’s nothing wrong with losing my temper,” She said, “I blow up, and then it’s all over.” So does a shotgun,” Sunday replied, “and look at the damage it leaves behind!” Sometimes it’s not over so quickly. For some, once the anger switch is flipped, all bets are off regarding what will happen from there. Prov. 17:14, “starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.” Michael Costin, 40-year-old single father of four, was beaten to death on July 5, 2000 in front of his own children at a hockey rink in Reading, Massachusetts. The man who attacked him was reportedly angry because Costin had refused to intervene in a youth hockey game that Junta thought was getting too physical. In Atlanta, Georgia a two-year old toddler was shot through the neck by an irate motorist engaged in an argument over a road incident with the toddler’s father. Being quick to anger can lead out of control anger which can lead to death. If we are going to save a world of hurt we need to learn the art of restraint.
• Understand that man’s anger is unrighteous. Man’s anger does not bring about (does not practice, does not produce) the righteousness God requires (vs. 20). There is man’s anger and then there is God’s anger. Righteous anger and unrighteous anger. Sometimes these can be confused. I might think my anger is righteous when it is not. Or I might be righteously angry over something but have an unrighteous response to it, thus rendering my anger unrighteous in deed. We notice that when James distinctly says, “man’s anger” we realize that not all anger is sin. James said, “be slow to anger” not, “don’t ever become angry”. Man’s anger is quickly aroused where God’s is not. Psalm 86:15, “But you, O Lord are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” Man’s anger does not abound in love. God always abounds in love, even in his anger. If our anger is out of love for good then it is righteous. Becoming angry at sin is righteous anger. Being angry over the injustices and hatred against others is righteous. Being angry when someone speaks against God is righteous. However, we can have an unrighteous response to our righteous anger. When we have human responses to our godly anger, like taking matters into our own hands, we sin in our anger.
3) Do some weeding (vs. 21).
• Digging and exposing. If I am going to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry I need to do some weeding. In order to get rid of the filth and evil I need to do some digging. This involves me taking a look at me. I need to see what’s in me so I can get rid of it. When I’m quick to anger I’m not looking at me, I’m looking at you. I’m not responsible for my anger-you are. James is challenging us to take a look at ourselves. He’s telling me the problem isn’t out there-it’s in here. If we are serious about being slow to anger then we need to be serious about getting rid of the things in our life that tempt us to compromise our restraints. We see here that what fuels our anger isn’t so much about a singular act of another inciting us to anger; it is the immorality already in our lives, the evil that is already there. Like when James said in verse 14 that it wasn’t outside sources that were to blame for our sin because the evil desires were already within us; likewise our propensity toward becoming quickly angered can’t be attributed to outside sources-it is due to something that is already within us. Both in our evil desires and our tendency to be quick tempered we need to look within to find the source. What’s already going on deep inside of us to incite us to anger? I read that if you want to trace anger back to its source, just use AHEN. I don’t mean a chicken, but the acronym A-H-E-N: When you see Anger (A) it is usually covering a Hurt (H). If you peek under that Hurt, you’ll see you had an expectation (E). And if you look under that expectation, you’ll find a need (N). We become angry when we feel hurt or offended. It may be because we had an unmet expectation that stemmed from a deep-rooted need. I have a need to be loved and accepted and I expected you to show me those by always being there for me so when you let me down I was hurt and in response I reacted angrily toward you. We see that in this scenario it wasn’t so much the other person. Yes, perhaps they made a mistake but our anger was primarily due to an unrealistic expectation that this person would never fail. A misunderstanding that if this person ever let me down that meant they didn’t care about me. These are the deep rooted issues that can ignite my quick, explosive anger.
• Bad out; good in. We need to get rid of the filth if we are going to be able to humbly accept the truth. Part of evil’s deterioration in our lives is its ability to cloud our judgment when it comes to correctly accepting, discerning and applying the truth. James wants his fellow believers to cast off all that entangles them, all that is keeping them stuck, angry, prideful, and accept the truth that was planted in them. Barclay’s commentary on 1:21 states that the word used for filth has an interesting connection. It is a derivative of the Greek word, rupos, which, when used in the medical sense, means wax in the ear. James would be telling his readers to get rid of everything which would stop their ears from being able to hear God. As the gathering of wax causes one to not hear; so the gathering of one’s sins causes them to not hear God. We need to take the wax out so that we can hear. Col. 3:5-10. This is what would constitute the “wax”, the moral filth, the evil that can be prevalent in our lives. Naturally, if we’re called to get rid of the weeds, we must then put something else in its place. Col. 3:12-15. If I become clothed in these spiritual attributes, if I let these principles rule in my heart then I will be slow to anger.
• Humbly accept the word. If we are humble, we will not only hear but also accept what God is saying to us. James was presenting some harsh realities. He said we need to consider it pure joy when we faced trials. He presented the truth that God was not to blame for their sin. James said that persistence in sin would lead to death. This can be hard to accept and agree with. However, we need to be quick to listen to the truth, slow to speak in response to the truth and not quick to be angry about the truth so we can humbly accept the truth of God’s word that gets planted inside us. Psalm 119:11, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” I have planted the word in my heart; I have allowed your word to take root in me that I might practice it and not sin against you. That I might not sin in word; that I might not sin in anger. The word that I have humbly hidden in my heart will be there to cause me to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Col. 3:16-17. When the word that is planted in me takes root and grows to where I am full with it I will be able to teach with wisdom and restraint instead of being slow to listen and quick to speak. And I will not sin in word or deed but my words and deeds will be in accordance with the name of Jesus.
• Which can save you. James picks up on the point he made in verse 15 about what happens when sin is full grown. That’s why he urges them to get rid of the moral filth and the evil that is still established in them. They need to accept and continue in the word that was planted in them. They needed to allow that word to germinate and grow so that they would persevere (vs. 4) and be saved. It wasn’t a forgone conclusion that just because they believed that they would persevere in that belief. James understood the dangers that would rob them of the word that was planted in them. Paul understood this principle as well. 1st Cor. 15:1-2. Both Paul and James understood that in order to be saved one had to continue in the faith, holding firmly to the truth of the gospel. I can do this if I humbly accept and hide the word in my heart.
CONCLUSION: Being quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry involves things like patience, wisdom and love. So much harm is caused by the reverse of these things. Let’s go from here and set the example of peace and harmony by following these valuable principles.
