“A fool’s mouth lashes out with pride, but the lips of the wise protect them.” Ha. It doesn’t take much thought to recognize how often our mouths and our words get us into trouble. Whether it’s what we say or what we don’t say, the result of the tongue equation seems to spell T-R-O-U-B-L-E.
Job 5.21 – You will be protected from the lash of the tongue
Job 15.5 – your sin prompts your mouth
Job 20.12 – though evil is sweet in his mouth and he hides it under his tongue
Psalm 10.7 – trouble and evil are under his tongue
Ps. 12.3 – may the Lord silence all glittering lips and every boastful tongue
Ps. 50.19 – you use your mouth for evil and harness your tongue to deceit
Ps. 52.2, 4 – you who practice deceit, your tongue plots destruction; it is like a sharpened razor…You love every harmful word, you deceitful tongue
James 3.5, 6, & 8: Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. … The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. … but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
Instead, according to 1 Peter 3.10: “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.” The lips of the wise protect them. Whatever is in the heart makes its way to the lips. The challenge isn’t so much to tame the tongue, but to change the heart.