Proverbs 16:13
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Righteous lips are the delight of kings; and they love him that speaketh right.
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Your lips can promote you faster than anything else, including your heart and mind, though they are necessary (22:11)! No matter how good and virtuous your heart and mind, they are revealed best by gracious and truthful speech. Kings were great and powerful in Solomon's time, but their approval and affection could be won with righteous words. Give God the glory for this wonderful proverb and its lesson for godly speech.
As a proverb, you are to understand the kings under consideration are noble and righteous kings. Profane and wicked kings have little regard for good things, including wise and virtuous speech. Many kings were foolish enough to appoint court jesters and evil counselors! But even pagan kings could appreciate humble and wise words, as Pharaoh listening to Joseph and Nebuchadnezzar listening to Daniel (Gen 41:38-45; Dan 1:18-21).
Consider the force and glory of this proverb. It does not teach winning the favor of friends, family, neighbors, or colleagues. It teaches winning the approval and affection of glorious monarchs - a plural number of them at that! Kings had enormous glory, power, and wealth. They held the power of life and death. Their favor was a great blessing (16:14-15; 19:12; 20:2). Daniel continued through the reigns of several Chaldean kings, a Median king, and into the reign of Cyrus the Persian (Dan 1:18-21; 5:29-31; 6:1-3,28)!
Consider the details of the proverb. Godly kings delight in good speech: they love right words spoken at the right time (10:20; 15:23; 16:24; 25:11). But not only do they delight in the good words, they also love the men who speak them! The good words and discreet speech please their minds; the speakers win their hearts (12:14; 14:35; 24:26). Solomon had heard how his father, David, had won Jonathan by his speech (22:11; I Sam 18:1-5).
Reader, would kings love you? Are your words appropriate, cheerful, compassionate, discreet, edifying, encouraging, few, gentle, gracious, helpful, kind, merciful, modest, prudent, righteous, sober, thankful, true, and wise? Or do you backbite, complain, criticize, talk foolishly, exaggerate, jest, lie, murmur, slander, swear, tattle, and whisper?
Promotion is as close as your mouth. Death and life are in the power of your tongue (10:31; 12:18; 18:21). If you want kings to delight in your speech and love your person, then teach your mouth the wisdom of King Solomon (10:19; 15:28; 16:23; 17:27-28).
God gave Jesus Christ the tongue of the learned (Is 50:4). His words were pure truth and graciousness (Ps 45:2; Luke 4:22; Rev 3:14). No man ever spoke like Him (John 7:46)!
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