Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good,
and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.
The wise of heart is called discerning,
and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.
Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it,
but the instruction of fools is folly.
The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious
and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
Gracious words are like a honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul and health to the body.Proverbs 16:20-24
The word 'learning' in 21 and 23 is rendered 'persuasiveness in the RSV (cf 'fair speech' in 7:21). The theme is persuasiveness of speech. True wisdom makes one's speech pleasant and persuasive. Paul's words in Colossians 4:6 convey the meaning very well: 'Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt'. This is something that it is essential for us to learn. In discussion about the gospel, for example, it may be that a man is very good at argument and debate, so that with great thoroughness and ruthlessness he demolishes the other man's position. In such a situation, he may win an argument and lose a soul, by sheer bull-dogged aggressiveness. On the other hand, pleasant speech instead of that ruthlessness that his logical mind drives him to might have been much more persuasive for the gospel. There is little point in trying to witness for Christ if our whole approach and attitude causes extreme resentment. Being faithful is not the same as being objectionable, and we must not make the mistake of supposing that the only property of honey is cloying (24): on the contrary, it is health-giving. The mind of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips. Jesus once said, 'Be ye wise as serpents and harmless as doves'. One wonders whether He had these verses in Proverbs in mind when He said this. There are some things that the wise man will not say in certain circumstances - even if they are true - if he realises that saying them is going to be like showing a red rag to a bull. He will not make the mistake of blurting out everything in the most unwise sort of way. God give us this persuasiveness and wisdom!