Proverbs 25:15

The book of Proverbs gives us a lot of instruction on a lot of different subjects. One subject that can keep us in God’s wisdom is Godly Follower-ship. Who we follow; where we follow; how we follow are all spoken about in Proverbs. Here is one of them about how to be persuasive:

Proverbs 25:15 (NASBStr)

By forbearance a ruler may be persuaded,

And a soft tongue breaks the bone.

Proverbs 25:15 (ESV)

With patience a ruler may be persuaded,

and a soft tongue will break a bone.

There is a real skill when it comes to the art of negotiations.   Few people can actually accomplish the art of persuasion without first stumbling and even touching the hems of offending.   When you have a point to make most people blast it out like a shell out of a cannon.   They wound the other party before they even get a chance to win the other person over to their way of thinking. In the above proverb we read about two elements of persuasion that are a must for would-be negotiators.  In the first line we read that good persuasion takes much time, patience and persistence.   We can't give up in the face of resistance and we can't give in when others don't agree, no matter their station or authority over us.   The second line of this proverb says that the cannon shell should be replaced with the jar of honey.    Perhaps this is were we received the old adage that "you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."  We don't have to blast our opinion to convince.   If we have a valuable opinion sometimes the best way to get others to hear it and accept is to create a warm and friendly path to our well and allow them to draw the bucket and drink from it out of their own will.   Simply hitting them with the arrows of our arguments isn't the best way, or a good way at all.   This proverb seems to tell us that if we want others to hear us and accept our view we should be patient, persistent and positive.

Notice how the Apostle Paul explains this to the young Pastor Titus:

Titus 2:9-10 (ESV)

Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.