A fool's lips bring strife, And his mouth calls for blows.  A fool's mouth is his ruin, And his lips are the snare of his soul. Proverbs 18:6-7

Our mouth can be a source of blessing or our downfall.  For the fool the latter is more the case.  His mouth is a means of trouble, strife, and eventually ruin.  Let's try to learn from him today and avoid the things that happens when a fool is speaking.

First we learn that a fool's lips bring strife.  The idea here is that when a fool opens his lips to speak - along with his speaking comes strife.  Evidently the fool is itching for a fight because that is what takes place after he speaks.  His mouth calls for blows.  The fool is the one who always has to have the last word - and that word is usually highly offensive to those who hear it.  You watch the fool escalate his statements from offensive to provocative.  He provokes those around him to the point where their anger is boiling over.  He enrages people with the way he speaks - and the end of it all is blows - a fist fight.  Rather than walk away from a growing tension, the fool throws gasoline on the fire and stokes it in every way he can.  He does not have the ability to let an insult go - and just walk away.  He has to one up the person who insulted him by offering an even greater insult.  Actually, the fool usually is the one who starts all this - almost as if he or she is wanting the fight. 

At the core of all this is pride.  The fool is filled with it.  As I said earlier he can never let something go.  Anything said requires his provocative response.  He loves contention and controversy.  He loves quarrelling and disputes.  He thrives on hostilities and his words invite them constantly.  A wise man knows how to calm people with his responses.  The fool only inflames them.  No wonder that in the end we watch him punching and being punched as the fight erupts.

The next verse continues this thought.  The fool's mouth is his ruin - and his lips are continually snaring his soul.  The word ruin is the Hebrew word "mehittah" which means destruction, ruin, and terror.  The root word for "mehittah" is "hatat" which means to be broken or afraid.  The fool thinks he is bringing himself honor or at least respect when he won't take anything from anyone else.  He thinks he is standing up for himself and that all others will know he is not someone with whom you want to tangle.  But the opposite is true.  His mouth is not bringing him respect, it is bringing him ruin.  His mouth is a continuous source of terror for his life.  He is constantly in danger because of his big mouth.  He keeps opening it and getting himself in trouble.  He says that he wants to stay out of trouble - at least that is what he tells the officer each new time he is arrested - at least that is what he says when he stands before the judge again and again - but his mouth is a snare for him.  He speaks out for himself and in doing so sets another trap directly in front of himself to step into.  We would consider a man the ultimate fool if he set a bear trap and then stepped into it - but that is what the fool does with his mouth all the time. 

Let me offer an example from real life.  We read of sports figures who are constantly getting in trouble.  It seems that they go from one altercation to another - in and out of a courtroom as if they were walking through a revolving door.  Why does this happen?  A lot of it happens because they have the mouth of a fool - and they use it in the company of other fools.  Where do they go regularly?  They go to bars and clubs.  What happens to them - they run into other fools whose minds are dulled by alcohol.  When they do some fool (either one at the bar or they themselves) opens their mouth in typical drunken arrogant fashion.  Feeling "dissed" they then "bow-up" in pride and let their foolish mouth run free.  Of course when you get two drunken fools like this together the escalation is not only going to happen - it is going to happen quickly.  More foolish words are exchanged as they trash talk one another and, you got it, a fight breaks out betwen them.  In recent years we've added to the fist fights - fools who carry guns with them into bars and other places - and someone becomes angry enough to shoot someone else.  Then we get the court case where any normal person would be send away for their crime - but in the case of the rich, spoiled athlete - some deal is cut to let him continue to entertain us with his physical prowess.  We never think about the damage done to our children who unfortunately are taught to idolize these fools - and who follow in their footsteps. 

Our mouths are incredibly powerful things.  James says that our tongue's can set the course of our lives on fire - and that they can be set on fire by hell itself.  That is why we need to learn things like humility, patience, and restraint.  It is also why we need to be wise and to avoid the company of fools whose mouths continually snare their souls.  Let your mouth be filled with the Word of God - with gracious and kind words - and with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Let your mouth become the instrument that brings you blessing - not the tool which the devil, working unhindered through your flesh, uses to bring you to ruin.

Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood, But who can stand before jealousy? Proverbs 27:4

Three things are mentioned here - with the last being the most severe.  Wrath is the first thing mentioned.  The word used here is "hemah" and it means to be hot with anger.  It signifies anger, hot displeasure, indignation, or rage.  It was used to speak of a person's burning anger as well as once to speak of God's intense anger toward those who practiced idolatry in 2 Kings 22:17.  We are told that this kind of burning anger is fierce.  When people have this kind of burning wrath toward something - or probably in this context someone - they can be both fierce and cruel.  For the most part, God encourages us to refrain from this kind of wrathful, hot anger and rage. 

The second word used in this proverb is anger.  This is the oft used Hebrew word "aph" and it refers literally to a flared nostril or the way a face is altered when a person is angry.  Except for only a few instances, this kind of anger is viewed negatively in the Word.  What is fascinating is the two or three examples where an exception is given.  This anger is expressed in a passion and desire for God to be glorified.  Because He is not - then the anger rises in one who speaks or acts on behalf of God and His honor and glory.  We see that this word is described as coming in a flood.  The word for flood means a mighty torrent of water - probably something like a flash flood.  God's judgment is mentioned as coming this way in Nahum 1:8 where God says, "But with an overflowing flood He will make a complete end of its site, And will pursue His enemies into darkness."  When God's anger is loosed in judgment - it will be like a flash flood - like a tsunami that will crush all that stands against Him.  But when humans act this way - it is usually when someone blows his or her top.  Like a volcanic eruption - the person just blows - and the result is seldom anything but problematic and damaging to whomever is unfortunate enough to be in its path. 

As said at the beginning of this devotion - three things are mentioned here - with wrath and flared anger being those two of those three things.  But the third is considered the worst them.  That is jealousy.  The word here is "qana" and it means to be jealous with great zeal.  It describes a person who has an intense fervor, passion, and emotion that supercedes that of a person with wrath or anger.  This is seen in the Word as both good and bad in various situations.  Phinehas was filled with this jealousy when he acted on the Lord's behalf in Numbers 25:11.  Seeing an Israelite man walk right in front of the tent of meeting with a Midianite woman - intending to have sex with her - filled Phinehas with a jealousy for God's glory that moved him to act.  This kind of sin was only a precursor to Israel stumbling headlong into Baal worship and its practice of sensuality and sexual immorality as worship of their false god.  Incensed and filled with passion and godly jealousy - Phinehas pierced both the man and the woman through with a spear as they engaged in this wicked act.  God praised Phinehas for his godly jealousy in this passage.  But jealousy can also be evil.  Proverbs 14:30 warns agaisnt a passion that is rottenness in the bones.  The wrong kind of jealousy - for our own honor and praise - for what we want and think we deserve - can eat us alive. 

In the end - God experiences all three of these things in His great love for His honor and glory.  His wrath is fierce, and His anger can come like a wave crashing against the wickedness of man.  But these two things cannot measure against His great love for His people manifest by His godly jealousy and zeal for them to love Him and honor Him as He deserves.  We read in James that God's Spirit desires us to the point of envy.  God has redeemed us and bought us for Himself.  What He has done in bringing us to life - paying for our sins - and calling us unto Himself - He longs for it.  He longs to see us tear down every idol and cast out any other love - and to be completely devoted to Him.  Who can stand before such a jealousy!? 

Here is the amazing thing about this proverb.  Our first response to this should be to cower in fear at the manifestation of God's wrath and anger.  These things have been seen in ways that would drop any man alive to his knees.  We would prostrate ourselves before God in terror at His wrath and anger - fearing and trembling for our lives as we watch Him bring the just deserts of the wicked upon their heads.  But what we experience as believers is the Lord's jealousy for the work He has done in us.  He longs for us to fully embrace the grace He has given us - to fully access all that His Spirit is willing to do in us.  And He does so with a jealous passion to see us as the very trophies of His grace and kind work in our souls and bodies.  Who can stand before such blazing love?  Who would dare to oppose Him in His quest to destroy every idol in our hearts and have every part of us as His sole possession?  Oh, that we would see the love of God in all of its shining glory and passionate heat.  We cannot stand before it - we cannot imagine the depth of His love.  All we can do is fall before Him and see ourselves consumed in the loving flames of His glorious, jealous passion that in Christ Jesus He will finally be glorified in His saints.

A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

Ours is an offended society today.  It seems to be a never-ending cycle in our news of someone who has said something that someone else considers offensive.  The result is that the other person responds harshly to what has been said, which in turn stirs up more anger.  I was listening to a radio show today and heard the host do his dead-level best to stir up as much anger as possible.  Over and over again he spoke harshly against the things he was seeing commenting that our response should be anger and outrage.  As I considered this proverb I began to realize that where we are going as a society is not good.  It is getting to the point where we are unable to laugh at ourselves.  Instead everyone just seems to be getting more and more outraged.  That is why, at least for me, it was good to read this particular proverb today.

This proverb begins with an assumption.  Something has been said that can in some way offend - or at least cause a strong reaction in someone's mind.  It speaks of a "gentle answer" which of course precludes that someone has either asked something - or said something that deserves a response.  The question then hangs in the air, "How are we going to respond."  What is interesting about this is that we're not being asked about content - we're being queried about the spirit of our response. 

A gentle answer turns away wrath.  This is true when we are offended and want to offer a harsh answer to some way we've been hurt or offended.  This requires wisdom.  It also requires the work of God's Holy Spirit - or at least our dependence upon Him in these moments.  We are at least reminded of the reward that we get when we choose to answer gently.  This kind of answer turns away wrath.  This word "wrath" indicates heat and rage.  This is a person who is in the midst of hot displeasure or what the Bible calls, burning anger.  This person is either on the edge of losing it - or - has already lost it.  But a gentle, gracious answer will turn away this kind of response.  How much we need this not just when we are angry and offended - but especially when someone else is this way.  There are those times when someone is offended with us - and the situation can either turn more constructive - or it can get completely out of hand.  If we respond to someone with harsh words - the situation is gone - but gentleness will often help the situation calm down and become far more profitable.

But some don't want to answer gently.  They let their anger go - and harsh words begin to flow from their mouths.  Some think to answer gently is a sign of weakness.  Give 'em what they've given you, or they'll walk all over you.  By the way, these are also the people who frequently wind up in shouting matches - and have a long list of people who know better than to try to deal with them unless they have to.  Harsh words stir up anger.  The word stir is an interesting word.  It means to cause something to take off, to ascend, or to go to another level.  The word for anger here is "aph" and it actually describes the flaring of the nostrils.  It describes someone who is angry.  The Hebrews spoke of those who had a long nose which meant they were slow to wrath and anger.  Someone with a short nose was someone with a quick temper.  When we answer with harsh words, the person hearing us will have their anger elevated - it will go to another level - it will cause them to have a short nose, i.e. a quicker temper. 

I'm sure you've seen this.  Someone begins an argument or voices their frustration.  Rather than trying to understand, the second person just reacts - and away we go.  I've watched things elevate quickly and have seen two people have their noses get shorter and shorter.  Their anger grows - wrath is loosed - and soon a shouting match is the result. 

Here is the end of the matter.  Showing restraint is a good thing!  Showing a long fuse on your temper is wise.  We are very wise when we choose NOT to escalate an argument with the way we speak our words.  When we choose to answer gently and with wisdom, we will find God often diffusing a situation that easily could have wound up as a major blow up between us and our friend or neighbor.  So choose gentleness . . . I doubt you will ever regret it!

A stone is heavy and the sand weighty, But the provocation of a fool is heavier than both of them.              Proverbs 27:3

There are some heavy things that people have to carry.  Among them are things like sand and stones.  I remember having to carry a pile of decorative stone from the front yard of a home all the way to the back yard.  At first I thought the job was going to be easy.  The stones were fairly large, but easy to carry at first.  About the time I got to the middle of the pile the ease of carrying these stones began to go down.  It was as if they were getting heavier all the time.  You probably know that by the time I reached the bottom of the pile - the stones seemed really heavy.  It became difficult to carry them to the back of the yard where they were going.  One might say that they became quite a load.  That is what Proverbs is saying to us about dealing with the fool.

The actions this Proverb speaks of are the "provocation" of a fool.  Provocation is not exactly a word we use often in our society - it means to provoke someone.  The Hebrew word is "kaas" and it means to cause vexation and anger.  It is like someone poking you again and again until it provokes you to the point of being very angry.  This word is even used to speak of how idolatry angers God and provokes Him to that anger and wrath. 

The fool is the man who doesn't quite get it.  He does something but doesn't understand the problems that his actions are causing.  He not only does it once - but repeats it again and again.  Elsewhere in the proverbs we are told that like a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool returns to his folly.  Thus the actions that cause a  problem, or the ones that provoke people to anger are repeated again and again.  This can be maddening on a personal level - and it can be devastating on a societal one. 

This is why we are told that it would almost be better to have to carry the weight of sand and stones rather than have to deal with a fool who is constantly provoking us to anger and frustration.  This is also why the Word counsels us to refrain from "hanging around" fools.  To do so is to eventually invite amazing levels of provocation into your life, which is not exactly something we are all dying to have every day.