Iron Sharpens Iron

A number of years ago, a friend was helping me wash the dishes. When I cautioned him not to place the knife blades against the metal of the other silverware, he protested, “But I thought ‘iron sharpens iron’?” My friend was referring to Proverbs 27:17, which says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

I have pondered that concept many times over the years, particularly while washing silverware. It has occurred to me that how metal is affected depends greatly upon how contact is applied. When knives are to be sharpened, their sides are stroked against each other, wearing away the metal leading up to their sharp edges. In the same way, if a knife’s cutting edge is brought directly against another knife, the metal of the knife edge is worn away, having the opposite effect, actually dulling the blade.

It has further come to my mind that our words have the same effect on each other, depending upon how they are applied. The very same principle of physics that governs either the honing and sharpening or dulling and blunting of a knife blade, is greatly at work as our words are spoken. If we speak bluntly and harshly to another, without regard for our approach, we harm the receiver of those words. It behooves us to consider timing, mood, and motives of both the speaker and the listener. When our words are applied in love, they have a healing power. As Proverbs 12:18 says, “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Proverbs 16:24 reminds us that “pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

The words of Proverbs 27:17 bear this analogy in mind. The physical properties of iron in contact with like metal are compared to the interaction of humanity. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”