“A fool’s voice is known by a multitude of words” (Ecclesiastes 5: 3 KJV).
Loquacity is the habit of excessive talking. If a person is loquacious, they are full of words, are wordmongers, are given to too much talking; garrulous.
The “gift of gab” is not a gift of the Holy Spirit, and yet many Christians seem to have this gift if it can be called a gift.
Loquacity is nervous chatter, a lot of incessant speech about nothing. It’s saying something without saying anything. It’s talking for forty-five minutes without saying anything. It’s having nothing to say and saying it.
A fool is a person who lacks common sense and is nevertheless not at a loss of words. Someone said “A wise man speaks because he has something to say and a fool speaks because he has to say something.” We can speak without thinking but we cannot think without speaking. King Solomon said, “The mouth of fools poureth out foolishness” (Proverbs 15: 2). And, “A fool also is full of words” (Ecc. 10: 14). It would be good if we were incapable of speaking until we had something worth saying. But that is a matter of self-discipline.
With electronic devices, people are talking far more than they ever did before, but they’re saying far less. People are empty and have nothing of value to say but are starving for attention and can get it instantly with the click of a button. We talk at people without connecting as we do when we talk to people.
Jesus said, “That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (Mt. 12: 36). An “idle word” is not an evil word but excessive wordiness from an overflowing heart that is out of control. The idea of gossip comes to mind here. Solomon said, “Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace (mouth), is counted wise” (Proverbs 17: 28). “In the multitude of words there wanteth (lacketh) not sins” (Pr.10:19).
Senseless chatter is a sign of shallowness and our inability to think critically so that content and wisdom may be administered through our speech. If there is more thinking there’ll be less senseless chatter and more wisdom in our speech and less shame on Judgment Day.
