James and the Discipline of Silence

  

Seeking to apply James 3:1-18, William Brosend offers the following suggestion: 

"The practice of the discipline of silence for a time or a season enriches the Christian life in many ways. And just like fasting can increase one;s appreciation for food, so can silence aid our understanding of speech. Homiletical exhortation to control the tongue is likely to  prove fruitless. everyone knows and has felt the danger and powerful sting of the tongue yet failed to keep it in check.  A more encouraging word can be offered for the practice of silence. While James did not specifically call for silence, the logic of his argument suggests it. The practice of silence will likely further our appreciation for it."

William F. Brosend II, James and Jude, New Cambridge Bible Commentary (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), 98.