“Apples of Gold”
By Almon Bartholomew
A word fitly spoken is like apples of Gold in settings of silver (Proverbs 25:11).
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer (Psalm 19:14).
Words, words, words! Where do they all come from? There is an ocean of words in the English language. The Webster’s Third New International Dictionary has a vocabulary of more than 450,000 words. An average person uses 12,000-20,000 words in his vocabulary. A university graduate may use 20,000-25,000- Shakespeare used approximately 30,000 words in his writings and his vocabulary is estimated to have been 60,000 words. I wouldn’t want to have played scrabble with him!
One of our acquaintances was a very fast talker. She would speak 200 words per minute with gusts to 250! She was a little like the woman who wanted to get a divorce. In court the judge asked why she wanted to get a divorce. She said “Your honor, my husband hasn’t spoken to me in four years”. Judge to the man: “Is it true that you haven’t spoken to your wife in four years? He replied “Yes your honor”. Judge to the man: “Why did you not speak to her for four years”? He replied “I didn’t want to interrupt her”.
Words are powerful things. They can heal, they can hurt. They can bless, they can blight. They can lift, they can put down. They can motivate, they can devastate. They may clarify, they may confuse. It has been said, “Talk may be cheap, but you can’t buy it back”.
Out of all the torrent of words in our vocabulary, the writer of the Proverbs urges one to be very selective in his use of words. We are encouraged to use our tongues to speak words aptly chosen, and applicable to the particular circumstance thus giving them a gold like quality.
Most of us have, or had, valued treasures on display in our homes. To us, these were priceless. Silver frames hold golden gems that are not for sale at any price. Such are these special, fitting words. They are characterized by the message they convey, what is said, how it is said, and when it is said. Let us look at some of these treasured verbal messages.
High on that list are words of kindness we can speak. In Proverbs chapter 31:26, the honored woman is said to have spoken wisdom with her mouth and the law of kindness was on her tongue. In a desperately cruel world there is a need to speak, and show, kindness. We are admonished in Ephesians 4:32 to be kind, one to another. Kindness costs nothing, but it pays great dividends. Many people are caustic and sarcastic in their remarks, inflicting pain on others. Let us not be part of that crowd, but rather spread the healing quality of kindness shown to everyone. This a virtue you can practice every day right beginning in your dwelling place.
Guidance is essential in the midst of confusion. These words are also a treasure. Joseph gave wise counsel to the Pharaoh in Egypt when he faced a pending famine. This word, fitly spoken, has spared our nation and its surrounding neighbors. This world needs wise counsel. We certainly are not finding it in today’s government.
I have been thankful for wise counsel given to us in critical decision times in our life. There are a few very special people, blessed with divinely inspired wisdom that provide direction, sometimes advising us to go forward, sometimes to stand still, and, sometimes to take a different track. It is needful for us to pray, each one of us, even in our senior years, for God to impart to us wisdom so that we may be able to pursue the right path and influence others to do the same. Thank God for trusted counselors who still share gems of wisdom. Such people have helped us through the years.
Forgiveness is a great word. At times it is important for us to ask forgiveness and just as important to grant forgiveness. Many people carry a burden of guilt for wrongs they may, or may not have committed. When you grant unconditional forgiveness to a person who has harmed you in some way you free two people, the wrongdoer and yourself. God has forgiven us and we should forgive one another. In fact, this principle is embedded in the Lord’s Prayer, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us”. In Matthew 6:14-15 Jesus said “If you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Heavenly Father forgive your trespasses”. Grudges held, hard feelings harbored, and an unforgiving heart, if these are found in us they will bankrupt us spiritually. We can’t afford such loss. Forgiveness is a precious golden apple in this setting.
Comfort joins the parade of valued words. The broken hearted of this world, the persons pained by the passing of a loved one, those who are devastated by loss of home, or loss of friendships, all of these, and more, need a word of genuine comfort. ! Corinthians 1:3-4 speaks clearly in this exhortation: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we are comforted by God”. Many of us here have lost the nearest and dearest. God visited us in those dark hours. He also sends to us those special people who bring us comfort, sometimes with words, sometimes just by silently standing by.
It can be a timely phone call. It can be a time of listening. It can be a card of greeting with a verse that will bring comfort. It can be a brief, but helpful visit. For those who have the freedom to do so, it can be a pot of homemade chicken soup. Whatever the venue may be, let us give an apple of gold to someone this week by extending to them God given comfort.
Hope is another golden apple. The Apostle Paul was a prisoner on board a ship which had set sail for Rome, the capital of the empire. Just south of the island of Malta an ultra severe storm battered their ship. The tempest continued for fourteen days. By all appearance a desperate tragedy was imminent. The scripture in Acts 27:20 reads “All hope that we should be saved would was taken away”.
But, one man, Paul, was visited by the angel of the Lord. While standing on the convulsing deck of a sinking ship he received a message that, in spite of the circumstances, and the loss of the ship and its cargo, every person on board would be saved. When he told the crew, the soldiers and the prisoners this promise of help and urged them to good cheer. They thought Paul was hallucinating. However, they were saved, no loss of life occurred as they were cast up on the island. Although the candle of hope had blown out, it was ignited once again. Hope was the golden apple in that bushel!
While strolling through the orchard of trees that yield apples of gold we find the tree which bears words of faith. We are told in Romans 10:17 “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”. When we read God’s word our faith is built up and we become stronger. As we assimilate these words into the fabric of our lives we can share this word with others and we will help them build up their faith. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews gives us an orchard full of golden apples; a litany of accomplishments achieved by faith. Why not share one of these golden apples a day and offer one of them to a friend?
Perhaps the golden apple that provides the most enduring health to the soul is love. The characteristics of this love are outlined in 1 Corinthians 13. Among the soul helping vitamins is patience, kindness, humility, good behavior, unselfishness, positive thinking, truthfulness, forbearance and endurance. This one a day vitamin will enhance our spiritual vitality and enable us to share it with others. The first Epistle of John tells us that God is love and that those who are possessed of that love know God. “Oh, Lord, please let me devour this precious fruit today and share some with my neighbors”.
Take a look at the golden apples harvested in this message; kindness, guidance, wisdom, forgiveness, comfort, hope, faith and love. What an orchard!!! These, words found in scripture, are worthy of meditation. As we utter them we discover them to be acceptable in God’s sight. In closing, Galatians 5:22-23 gives us an inventory of the Holy Spirit’s fruit made abundantly available to us. Here they are; love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. Take home a barrel full of these apples of gold, and have plenty to share with somebody else. As the old folks used to say when I was a kid;
“HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES?” !!!!
Al & Joyce Bartholomew
Al Bartholomew spent many years as a pastor, and later nurtured other pastors and workers.