James 1:19, Swift to Hear, Slow to Speak

James 1:19, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:”

“Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak.”

 What’s your first reaction when someone cuts you off while driving? Sometimes, our tongue acts as the first responder to these situations. Words come often before our brains have a chance to process the situation. Have you ever cut someone off by accident? Do you think that maybe the bad driver in front of you had a reason he cut you short? We recognize that on our bad days we make mistakes, but we are often much less understanding to other drivers. I mean this only as an example that we have conditioned ourselves to the opposite of the instruction in this verse.

We often are too swift to speak. Human nature tends to react before thought is applied. We tend to react to a situation before allowing common sense to play out. If someone is said to be guilty, we attribute shame before proper judgment. We react before we factcheck. Sometimes, we even “find a solution” before we have heard the entirety of a problem. How often do we gather the perspective of each side objectively before casting judgment? After years of working retail banking, I have been approached by many people in foul moods. How easy it was to be annoyed with someone and think poorly of that person instead of gathering information and learning what might be causing their attitude! Proverbs 18:13 states, “He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.” Our quick-reacting tongue will bring us nothing but shame and folly.

Instead, we need to be swift to hear. The word translated “hear” is more than just detecting a noise through our senses, though certainly that is included. Being swift to hear and slow to speak involves real listening and comprehension. When I taught junior high English, I knew my students were hearing me because I was a fairly loud teacher. In fact, I was loud enough that, when I started teaching, I could hear doors shutting down the hallway. I could also tell that sometimes my students were not listening though they heard me. This is why repetition is so important when you teach: you hope that at least one of the times your message will break through.

If we would be swift to hear, we will take the time to actually learn before we speak up. We would become perceptive to the needs and situations of others, and we may end up with something valuable to contribute. We could observe a person and notice an unusual mood change or out-of-the-norm behavior. Sometimes after a tragic crime, those who knew the perpetrator will say something like, “He didn’t seem like that type of person.” You have to wonder if perhaps no one was really listening. We might hear someone speak certain key words that give deeper insight to a situation.

Being swift to hear involves active listening. Active listening is total attention to a person as they speak with the goal of learning from verbal and nonverbal communication in order to fully comprehend what a person is saying so as to be able to respond appropriately and thoughtfully. Engaging in active listening means that we care enough about a person to invest a certain amount of time to the speaker. That type of investment means a great deal and shows that you do care.

When we are swift to hear, we will be slow to speak. It isn’t that speech isn’t helpful at all; it is just that we should take a moment to listen and consider before answering. Too often when someone is speaking, we are thinking about our response more than we are listening almost as if that person is not worthy of our time and full attention. In fact, it would be easy to connect being swift to speak with pride. We must think awfully highly of ourselves if we believe to know the answer before hearing the question.

I know we live in a fast-paced, multitasking society, but we all need to slow down the speaking and speed up the listening. In fact, this verse addresses “every man.” Take the time to listen before forming your opinion. Look at both sides before passing judgment. Hear the whole matter before deciding. Let us be swift to hear and slow to speak.