Uh Oh! The Mouth! Proverbs 12:14, James 3:10. Proverbs 18:20-21
We are now looking at a topic that is convicting for
every single one of us. We are dealing with the area of the sins of the tongue.
This is not easy for any of us. What the apostle James says in his epistle is
true, as he warns us about the dangers of the tongue, the dangers of a lack of
self-control, self-mastery in the area of our mouth. So we need to learn to
watch our mouth.
James is a good place to introduce this. James 1:26 NASB ÒIf anyone thinks
himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his
{own} heart, this manÕs religion is worthless.Ó In this passage James is
talking about people who think that they have arrived spiritually. That is what
he means by religious. Sometimes we use the word ÒreligionÓ as a contrast to
Christianity. We often talk about it as being human systems of achieving
a relationship with God based upon works. A lot of Christian denominations
emphasize works over grace and a lot of world religions emphasize works over
the provision of Jesus Christ on the cross for our salvation. We use the word
religion, therefore, as a sort of technical term for any kind of works based
system for approaching God. But James, uniquely from any other writers of
Scripture, uses the term and refers to just the spiritual life of the
individual, their walk with the Lord. So he is addressing a problem that he
sees in that congregation that he is addressing and he says that there is a
problem with people who claim to be learning the Word but are not really
applying it. That is what he means by being a hearer and not a doer of the
Word. A hearer is someone who studies the Word; a doer is someone who applies
it. Someone who applies the Word is truly religious in the sense that James is
using the term, i.e. having an ongoing relationship with God based upon grace
and based upon principles of the New Testament.
So he say that if you think that you are have the
spiritual life, if you think that you are walking with the Lord, if you think
that you are walking by the Spirit, and you donÕt bridle your tongue then you
are not there, you are making a false claim. If you claim that you have arrived
spiritually and you donÕt have self-control over what you say, what comes out
of your mouth, then you are in self-deception; you are deceiving your own
heart.
We can expand this a little as we talk about the sins
of the tongue. We can also say that this applies to the sins of the pen, the
sins of the typewriter, the sins of the keyboard. This applies to any sort of
verbal expression that engage in, whether it is actually something we say
orally or whether it is something that we write, some email that we pass on;
there are a lot of applications of this in different areas of our life. So the
issue here is really the self-control of the tongue. And we have to remember
that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit—Galatians 5:21-23. This is
something we are not going to be able to do on our own, it is something that is
generated, produced, enabled in us as a result of our walk by the Holy Spirit.
But there are those who think that somehow they have
arrived. They have enough doctrinal notebooks on the wall, they have taken a
lot of notes, they attend Bible class three or four times a week, they have all
the jargon down. But James says letÕs a little practical test here. Can you
control your mouth? Can you control the expression of your soul through what
you say, through what you write? If not you are in self-deception and your
spiritual life is pretty much useless.
James talks a little bit more about the sins of the
tongue in chapter three. James
3:8 NASB ÒBut no one can tame the tongue; {it is} a restless evil {and}
full of deadly poison.Ó This is stated as a universal principle. It is not
possible for us in the power of our own sin nature to tame the tongue.
Galatians 5 talks about the works of the flesh. Along with sins such as
adultery, fornication, immorality, it also lists sins such as strife, slander,
divisiveness, heresies; things of that nature. Those are all the results of the
sins of the tongue, and so it is evidence of the sin nature control. [9] ÒWith
it we bless {our} Lord and Father, and with it we curse men ÉÓ In other words,
the tongue gives us a barometer of what is going on inside of our soul.
All of the sins of the tongue really
manifest mental attitude sins. That is at the real core—arrogance,
hatred, fear, worry, jealousy. All of these different mental attitude sins lie
behind these awful things that come out of our mouth. We say things in anger.
We run down other people because we are angry with them, jealous of them, or we
think that somehow by tearing them up we build ourselves up, whatever it may
be. These sins of the tongue reflect certain mental attitude sins. James says
that the tongue really reflects what is coming out of our soul. If we are
walking by the Holy Spirit then what comes out of our mouth reflects the fact
that we are walking by the Spirit, that we are walking in fellowship. But in
the next second we can be out of fellowship and we are cursing someone.
James 3:10 NASB Òfrom the
same mouth come {both} blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought
not to be this way.Ó In other words, this is not how to conduct ourselves as
believers. There is a protocol for living the Christian life, a codex, a
standard. This is not legalism. [11] ÒDoes a fountain send out from the same
opening {both} fresh and bitter {water?}Ó The implication is that it should
not.
Proverbs 18:20 NASB ÒWith
the fruit of a manÕs mouth his stomach will be satisfied; He will be satisfied
{with} the product of his lips. [21] Death and life are in the power of the
tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.Ó What these two verses warn
us about is that our words, what we say and how we say it, has a tremendous
impact on others. It also has an impact on us. The picture created in Proverbs
frequently is that our words and the fruit of our lives are something that
other people feed on. Other people watch us. Our lives are something that
influence other people and are a testimony to other people, including the words
that we say.
Proverbs 12:14 NASB ÒA man
will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his words, And the deeds of a manÕs
hands will return to him.Ó This talks about the fruit of our mouth and that
this is related to what comes back to us as the recompense of what we do.
Proverbs 18:20 says, Òfrom the product of his lips he shall be filled.Ó This word
ÒproductÓ is the Hebrew word tebuah which means produce, harvest, profit. It is the
result of something. It is the result of an emphasis, the result of where we
put our energy, our effort. So the product of the lips is a parallel to the
fruit of our mouth. Here the writer is talking about what comes out of us. In
the first line we read the statement: Òhis stomach will be satisfied.Ó So there
is this imagery here of eating, of being satisfied with a meal. Metaphorically
though a manÕs stomach is a figure of speech where part of a person is used to
indicate the whole of a person. Here the stomach is used as a representative of
the entire person, both physically and spiritually. A personÕs appetite is
satisfied from the fruit of his mouth. So the idea is that what we say not only
affects other people but it comes back and has an impact upon us and influences
us. Then the second line, the harvest. The harvest can be good or it can be
bad, but the filling of oneÕs self from the result of oneÕs efforts is the
emphasis here.
What exactly does this mean? Verse 21
says, death and life are in the power of the tongue. That is exactly the same
kind of thing that James emphasizes, i.e. the tongue can produce either
blessing or cursing, so the tongue has tremendous power to go in either
direction, good or evil. Then, ÒAnd those who love it will eat its fruit.Ó What
this refers to is those who love to talk will eat of its fruit—either
good or bad harvest. In other words, you are going to receive the result of what
you speak. If it is good it returns blessing to yourself; if it is bad it is
going to return judgment to yourself. All of this is just a poetic way of
expressing what we have as an English proverb, that people is glass houses
shouldnÕt throw stones. We are all somewhat vulnerable and what goes out of our
mouths is going to come back to us one way or the other. So with our mouth we
are a source of blessing and righteousness, and that will come back to us in a
positive way; if we are harshly critical an judgmental, negative, gossipy,
slanderous of other people, then that will be the standard by which we are
handled and evaluated. This is exactly what Jesus said in Matthew 7:1-5.
Matthew 7:1 NASB ÒDo not
judge so that you will not be judged.Ó A lot of people quote this
self-righteously in a lot of different ways and it is taken out of context and
not understood. It is not a statement that we shouldnÕt have critical thinking
skills and evaluate the thoughts, actions teachings of people. It is not
talking about putting your brain in neutral and just accepting everyone or
whatever it is that they want to say and want to do. It is talking about having
a harsh judgment of other people. It is the verb krino and it is used in a wide variety of contexts. It is
used in a positive sense to talk about positively evaluating certain
situations, but it is also used negatively of people who have harsh, capricious
criticism, who just jump against other people, who are always negative, always
putting other people down and always ridiculing other people. It is a harsh
form of judgment. [2] ÒFor in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by
your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.Ó
In other words, if you have a harsh,
critical attitude toward other people that comes across, it comes out of your
mouth all the time, and other people are going to evaluate you on the same
basis. It is going to come back to haunt you.
Matthew 7:3-5 explains this in a little more detail. ÒWhy do you look at the speck that is in your brotherÕs eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? [4] Or how can you say to your brother, ÔLet me take the speck out of your eye,Õ and behold, the log is in your own eye?Ó In other words, you have a glaring fault but you are ignoring it and spending your time on some small item in someone else. It is none of your business. The focus is for us to be focusing on our own spiritual life and not on other peopleÕs failures or problems. We are not to be getting involved in other peopleÕs business.
Proverbs 18:20, 21 NASB
ÒWith the fruit of a manÕs mouth his stomach will be satisfied; He will be
satisfied {with} the product of his lips. Death and life are in the power of
the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.Ó This starts off by talking
about fruit, the fruit of the mouth and then about production in the second
line. Then in the first line of the second verse is the result—death and
life are in the power of the tongue. It ends again with an emphasis on the
fruit. Those who love to talk need to be careful of what comes out of their
mouth. There needs to be restraint.
These verses also emphasize that we
need to bridle our tongue, as James says. We need to have self-restraint in
this area:
Proverbs 10:19 NASB ÒWhen
there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his
lips is wise.Ó The more we talk the more we are likely to have sins of the
tongue. If we keep our mouth shut then we are going to limit that.
Proverbs 13:3 NASB ÒThe one
who guards his mouth preserves his life; The one who opens wide his lips comes
to ruin.Ó We reap the consequences of what comes out of our mouths. So our
prayer needs to be that of the psalmist at the end of Psalm 19. The first part
of the psalm reflects upon the non-verbal communication of the revelation of
God in the heavens. In the second part of the psalm there is a praise for the
Law of the Lord—the verbal disclosure of God to us. But the last verse
doesnÕt talk about GodÕs Word to us. It is a response. Now that we understand
how God communicates to us: Psalm 19:14 NASB ÒLet the words of my
mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD,
my rock and my Redeemer.Ó That is something we need to pray every day.
The Proverbs also gives us a lot of
warnings against the wrong kind of talk. Proverbs really seems to own this
topic of gossip and slander and maligning other people, and telling tales on
other people.
Proverbs 11:13 NASB ÒHe who
goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is trustworthy conceals
a matter.Ó We should not tell others about our dirty laundry. We are not
supposed to tell other people about other peopleÕs dirty laundry either. We
need to have respect for peopleÕs privacy because we are all sinners; we all
fail. What IÕve discovered over my years in the ministry is that peopleÕs
failures that are evident to everybody sometimes have an extremely difficult
time getting their life straight because the failures they have had in the past
are constantly brought up before them. As wise Christians we need to respect
peopleÕs privacy. We donÕt disclose other peopleÕs failures or talk about them.
Concealing a matter isnÕt talking about
a conspiratorial cover-up. This is talking about the fact that we recognize
that when people fail, they need
to be treated with grace and kindness. Let the Lord deal that problem;
it is between them and the Lord. Everybody else doesnÕt need to know about
their failures.
Proverbs 16:28 NASB ÒA
perverse man spreads strife, And a slanderer separates intimate friends.Ó So
gossip causes division. Divisiveness and strife is part of the works of the
flesh or the sin nature.
Proverbs 17:9 NASB ÒHe who
conceals a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates
intimate friends.Ó In both of these verses is the issue of how friends are
separated as a result of someone talking out of turn, telling tales on somebody
else, spreading gossip.
Proverbs 18:8 NASB ÒThe
words of a whisperer [talebearer] are like dainty morsels ÉÓ We just love the
juicy gossip about people. We want to know what is going on. ÒÉ And they go
down into the innermost parts of the body.Ó In other words, this has an impact
on the spiritual health of an individual.
Proverbs 20:19 NASB ÒHe who
goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, Therefore do not associate with a
gossip.Ó
Proverbs 26:20 NASB ÒFor
lack of wood the fire goes out, And where there is no whisperer, contention
quiets down.Ó There is an analogy here that for a fire to burn there must be
fuel. The fuel is wood. The fuel of strife and discord is usually gossip and
slander. If we remove that then unity can be restored. [21] {Like} charcoal to
hot embers and wood to fire, So is a contentious man to kindle strife.Ó
So as we look at these passages we are
reminded that there are these biblical standards for us in terms of
understanding how we are to control what comes out of our mouth.
There is also a series of contrasts in
the Scripture between the righteous and the wicked. Proverbs 10:20 NASB
ÒThe tongue of the righteous is {as} choice silver ÉÓ It has value. It
strengthens discourse. It builds people up. It is something that is positive.
But, ÒÉ The heart of the wicked is {worth} little.Ó
Notice the parallel between the tongue
of the wicked and the heart of the righteous. What comes out of the mouth
reveals what is in the heart. The heart if the wicked is going to produce
gossip, slander and lies, and is a source of discourse, whereas the tongue of the
righteous builds up.
Proverbs 15:28 NASB ÒThe
heart of the righteous ponders how to answer ÉÓ Notice the self-restraint that
is there. He thinks about how to answer, he doesnÕt just say the first thing
that comes into his head, doesnÕt just react instantly; he thinks about what is
the appropriate way to respond to a given situation. ÒÉ but the mouth of the
wicked pours forth evil things.Ó
Proverbs 15:2 NASB ÒThe
tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, But the mouth of fools spouts
folly.Ó
Proverbs 10:31, 32 NASB ÒThe mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom, But the perverted tongue will be cut out.Ó That is simply a metaphor or way of talking about it being removed because of the destructive consequences of the perverse tongue. ÒThe lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable, But the mouth of the wicked what is perverted.Ó Again, there is the contrast in behavior between the righteous and the wicked in terms of what come out of the mouth.
Proverbs 12:6 NASB ÒThe
words of the wicked lie in wait for blood ÉÓ Someone lying in ambush. ÒÉ But
the mouth of the upright will deliver them.Ó The wicked are looking to take
advantage of other people, to destroy other people. The focus of the righteous
is to save or deliver other people.
Proverbs 14:3 NASB ÒIn the
mouth of the foolish is a rod for {his} back ÉÓ The rod is often used as a
physical instrument of domination. It is talking about abusive language. ÒÉ But
the lips of the wise will protect them.Ó What the wise person says preserves
and delivers those around him.
Proverbs 14:23 NASB ÒIn all
labor there is profit, But mere talk {leads} only to poverty.Ó Idle chatter. If
you stand around and talk all the time you are all talk and no action. Nothing
is positively produced.
Proverbs talks about the words that we
say and the value of the words. There is a great application here for
believers. What are the most important words that we can say?
John 6:68 NASB ÒSimon Peter
answered Him, ÔLord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.ÕÓ If
we as believers are going to have words that have value the most important
words that we have are those which focus other people upon the grace of God,
first and foremost in salvation, and secondly in terms of the spiritual life.
John 6:63 NASB ÒIt is the
Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken
to you are spirit and are life.Ó So the wise words that we communicate can
begin with the words of Scripture, the words of the gospel, and the words
related to the spiritual life. We need to make sure that our words are
ÒseasonedÓ, as the Scripture says, with grace, that our focus is on the Word,
and that people can see match between the way we live and the way we talk.