July 10 / Proverbs 10 - Unposted Life

Today’s Proverbial Summer reading is July 10th / Proverbs 10. Our Scripture highlight is: “Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut,” Proverbs 10:19 (NLT).

Read it!

To read Proverbs 10, click HERE.

Summer Highlights:
Prov. 10:19

“Too much talk leads to sin.
Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.”
Proverbs 10:19 (NLT)

Keep Your Mouth Shut!

If we’re honest, we will admit that our mouths often get us in trouble! I used the NLT version of our highlighted verse above, but Proverbs 10 in the ESV mentions the mouth (our speech) about 17 times, depending on how you count it.

the mouth of the wicked (v.6)
a babbling fool (v.8)
a babbling fool (v.10)
The mouth of the righteous (v.11)
the mouth of the wicked (v.11)
On the lips (v.13)
the mouth of a fool (v.14)
lying lips (v.18)
utters slander (v.18)
When words are many (v.19)
his lips (v.19)
The tongue of the righteous (v.20)
The lips of the righteous (v.21)
The mouth of the righteous (v.31)
the perverse tongue (v.31)
The lips of the righteous (v.32)
the mouth of the wicked (v.32)

Proverbs 10 is a good chapter to ponder if you are prone to trouble with your tongue. James (the apostle/early church leader/brother of Jesus) had strong words to say about the power of our mouths.

If we could control our tongues…

I’m referring to the NLT for this passage since it is easier to read. It gets the same meaning across in simpler language.

“Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. ²Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.

³We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. ⁴And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. ⁵In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.

But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. ⁶And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

⁷People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, ⁸but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. ¹⁰And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! ¹¹Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? ¹²Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.”
James 3:1-12 (NLT)

Anybody else have a “salty” tongue? I know I do sometimes! And this same mouth that sings “Praise the Father! Praise the Son! Praise the Spirit, three in One…” at church on Sunday morning will sometimes say something very rude or super negative to the people in my own family Sunday afternoon (sometimes even on the car ride home from church!). James is telling the truth, and we know it, from both personal experience & observation, and because it is clearly spelled out for us here in God’s Word.

So, what can we do? In our highlighted proverb, Solomon suggests we talk less.

Hold your tongue.

“Too much talk leads to sin.
Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.”
Proverbs 10:19 (NLT)

“Sin is not ended by multiplying words,
but the prudent hold their tongues.”
Proverbs 10:19 (NIV)

“When words are many, transgression is not lacking,
but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.”
Proverbs 10:19 (ESV)

One practical way to help you “restrain your lips” is to pick one of the translations of Proverbs 10:19, memorize it, and repeat it to yourself, especially when you’re in situations that normally prompt you to talk too much.

Also, PRAY! Prayer is essential for taming our un-tame-able tongues. Jesus said,

“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Matthew 26:41 (ESV)

Only God can cleanse our mouths.

The prophet Isaiah realized just how unclean his mouth was when he was in the presence of the Lord.

“It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of His robe filled the Temple. ²Attending Him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. ³They were calling out to each other,

‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies!
The whole earth is filled with His glory!’

⁴Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.

⁵Then I said, ‘It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.’

⁶Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. ⁷He touched my lips with it and said, ‘See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.’

⁸Then I heard the Lord asking, ‘Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?’

I said, ‘Here I am. Send me.'”
Isaiah 6:1-8 (NLT)

We need to confess to God that we have mouths that talk too much and say things they shouldn’t. Then, He can start to sanctify our lips, cleaning them up and making us sound more like Jesus. However bad our problems with our mouths may be, God can always redeem them and use our lips — yes, even our lips! — to speak His truth to others, with grace, in love.

Prayer

Let’s pray Psalm 141:1-4 (NLT) together for our mouths.

“O Lord, I am calling to You. Please hurry!
Listen when I cry to You for help!
Accept my prayer as incense offered to you,
and my upraised hands as an evening offering.

Take control of what I say, O Lord,
and guard my lips.
Don’t let me drift toward evil
or take part in acts of wickedness.
Don’t let me share in the delicacies
of those who do wrong.”

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

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