Proverbs 31:26 She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
The excellent wife is a doer, which we have seen throughout this entire portrait. But we learn in verse 26 that she is also a teacher - and one whose words are a blessing to all those who hear them. Let's take a look at the two pictures that are painted for us, describing this aspect of the excellent wife. First we see that she speaks wisdom. The picture that is painted for us is a woman who when she sees the need of breaking silence with her mouth - speaks and wisdom pours from her. The phrase "opens her mouth," is a Hebraism meaning what is under her tongue or ready to proceed from her mouth. It has the idea that as soon as her mouth opens to speak - wisdom pours forth from it. The Jewish scholars believed that this woman's heart was so filled with this wisdom from God that the moment she opened her mouth it naturally flowed from it. This is the kind of woman you want to be around when she did speak. She was the female embodiment of E.F. Hutton - who when she speaks - you should listen! The second thing we learn about her is that "the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." There are two ways of reading this - and honestly I think either is correct. The first way would be to say that she teaches of kindness to others. The word for kindness here is the Hebrew word "chesed." This word is the one that is closest to the New Testament concept of agape love that we have in the Old Testament. The word meant both goodness and kindness - and referred to God's covenant love. She taught of God's great covenant love. She taught of a God who loved His people, showing them His kindness and His goodness to them. But the second way of seeing this is that she was loving as she taught. The reason I feel that either is applicable is that they compliment each other so well. One who teaches of God's love would, of course, be one who showed it as well even as she taught. The excellent wife is not just a worker - but a lover - and one who loves as God Himself does. She speaks wisdom and teaches of love. These are two wonderful aspects of God that every family member and especially the children need to learn. That is why the excellent wife is so ready to speak of such things whenever she opens her mouth. She is a source of blessing therefore not only in all that she does for this family - but also in all she speaks and teaches as well.
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Proverbs 29:20 Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
There is a saying that is used to help people see that they need to think before they do something. That phrase is, "Look before you leap." After reading this proverb I think there should be a second phrase developed and used to help us keep from sticking our foot in our mouth - saying things that hurt others and damage our testimony. That phrase is, "Think before you speak!" There is great wisdom in taking a moment to think about what you are going to say. It may slow you down in communicating, but in the end it will keep you from saying things that you will regret later. Proverbs 10:19 tells us, "When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but a wise man restrains his words." It won't hurt us to take a moment to think about what we are about to say - it will actually bless us - and keep us from sin. It might be helpful on a test to write down the first answer that comes to our mind - but it is usually not helpful to speak the first thing that comes into our heads. I know many times in my life that doing that would have seriously damaged relationships. The wise thing to say is the thing we have contemplated or thought about. When we are hasty in our words we will be careless in them as well. That can lead to hurtful words being spoken. It is wise for us to remember that we are fallen, sinful men and women. It is also wise for us to remember that we can speak out of our flesh or out of God's Spirit. Let me quote Galatians 5 to give you an idea of what will come from each of these two sources. The flesh will yield these things. "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." There is a list we want to avoid at all costs. These are the things that damage and possibly even end relationships. Our mouths do not need to speak from the flesh. Here is why we do not want to be hasty in our words. Stop and consider the source - and if it resembles these kinds of words - don't say anything. This is even more important when we are angry or we feel hurt or misunderstood. Better to take our time communicating before we speak in these circumstances. It may even be wise to ask clarifying questions like, "What did you mean when you said this?" Often we receive slight where slight was not meant to be communicated to us. Thinking before we speak will allow us to step back and clarify what we heard before we decide to respond to it. Speaking out of the Spirit involves yielding ourselves to the Holy Spirit. It means stopping and listening to the counsel of the Spirit as He guides us through every situation we face. Here is what we can expect to come out of our mouths when we do this. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." Two benefits from stopping and listening to the Holy Spirit will be first, the much better words that will come from us - words of love and the other wonderful characteristics that are mentioned here. But a second benefit will also be the way our "passions and desires" will be crucified as we do not yield to the flesh, but walk in the Spirit. I am what is called a "verbal processor," which means I do better when I can talk through things. That comes with some pretty dangerous territory, because if I do this with someone I can say some pretty stupid things before I reason through my feelings and my attitudes. That is why God has greatly encouraged me to verbally process with Him - and not so much with everyone else. David verbally processed with God often in the Psalms. It is why some of them seem to say pretty rough things at first - but end in praising God and David submitting himself to God. The Lord can handle this where humans cannot. So, if you need to talk - talk to God - about your difficult things - about everything. But be careful to "think before you speak" with men. Solomon tells us that if we don't do this - there is more hope for a fool than for us. That is a pretty tough thing to face - but then again - I've faced some pretty difficult things because I was too foolish to "think before I speak." The north wind brings forth rain, And a backbiting tongue, an angry countenance. Proverbs 25:23 A wise man does not participate in backbiting or gossip. It is a very destructive thing when we do. Therefore a wise man does everything he can to make it very clear that he will not participate in it. That is what God wants to give us wisdom about in today's proverb of the day. This particular proverb creates a problem for us - in that in Israel the north wind does not bring rain. It is the southeastern winds that do that task. Some think that because of this that this proverb may be one Solomon learned from Egypt, because that particular area does have rain originate out of the north wind. Regardless of which geographic region this proverb originated, the fact is that when the wind blew from the north in this region, it brought with it clouds and rain. The one thing that is accepted by just about every commentator is that this cloudiness and stormy weather promised by the north wind is compared to the stormy, angry countenance that should be given to someone who is about to begin gossiping about someone else. The phrase, "a backbiting tongue" comes from the Hebrew word "seter" which means a covering or a secret hiding place. The idea it brings with it is that of secrecy. The problem with this word is that the one speaking is wanting secrecy only from one person - the one about whom he is talking. He is more than willing to talk about them - he just is not willing to talk TO them. This is the problem with gossip and backbiting (or secret talking). The one doint it is usually unwilling to make his complaint public where the other person can either answer or repent and initiate change. No such grace is extended to the focus of the gossip. The desire is not to help them - or to see them delivered from some sin or fault. The desire is to destroy the person. They are denigrated in the eyes of others. Since this is done behind their back - there is no way they can change. On top of all this - the people who hear about the gossiped-one's faults - are usually being turned against him. Thus the one who is the subject of the gossip is doubly damaged. First he is not being confronted about whatever sin led to the gossip - and second, he is being isolated by the gossip. In the end he or she is hated and shunned - which is what the gossip had as their goal in the first place. Most gossip is either started or continued due to a bitterness or lack of forgiveness of the one about whom they are gossipping. That is why this is such a wicked sin. How do you stop a gossip from pouring their poison into your soul? This passage tells you how. Just like a cold north wind brought clouds and rain into the area from which this proverb arose, so also an angry countenance brings a stop to the gossip and backbiting. This is not a brief glance, or a telling look. The word here in the Hebrew is "zaam" and it means to be indignant and enraged. The root word literally means to "foam at the mouth." So this is no quick glance - it is a look that says, "Stop this now!" That is how to do it. There is no real gracious way to deal with a gossip - except to be indignant that they would include you in their wicked work. That is accomplished by giving them a very angry look that says in effect, "Not with me, bro!" A wise man is a peacemaker - not a gossip. His desire is healing and grace - not to gather a group against someone with whom he has a gripe. Such things are to be dealt with face to face with the one with whom you have the problem. Oh, how much would be healed in the church this way. Oh, the damage that would be prevented by walking in such grace and loving truth with each other. But because such wisdom is ignored, relationships are destroyed, friendships and ended, and even churches are split. That is why whenever gossip comes to knock at the door of your soul, you should answer with an angry, enraged countenance that says, "No way! Don't bring that junk in here!" By forbearance a ruler may be persuaded, And a soft tongue breaks the bone. Proverbs 25:15
Today's proverb has to do with the power of persuasion - especially when the one who is to be persuaded is someone in authority, like a ruler or a king. How is it that we persuade someone so high in office? The answer might shock you, because the Lord says that it is not the forceful man that will win the day. Patience and gentleness have much greater power to persuade than a blustery, arrogant person. Forbearance is what is needed, according to our proverb. The Hebrew word here is "orek" and it means something long or lengthy. It describes physical measurements. The word used to describe the length of Noah's ark as well as to describe things like large land measurements. But what is measured as long in this passage is the patience and willingness to stick with one's cause before someone in authority. The idea is that a person forbears the fact that the ruler has a different opinion - and seeks to bring the powers of persuasion to bear on him over time. Most rulers are not given to quick swings in opinion - and when they do - it has the danger of not lasing long. The influence of the wise man is applied to a decision over a long period of time. That is one reason he is effective in getting the ruler to think and reason as he does. William Wilberforce spent his entire lifetime forbearing with those who differed with him on the issue of slavery. Yet he held to his views and continued to persuade men by holding them no matter what the outcome of votes within Parliment. In the end, his willingness to remain in the fight and stay there for years won the day for him and his cause. There is a second tool that a wise man uses in persuading a ruler. We are instructed that a soft or gentle tongue can break a bone. What a powerful picture that is for us - and yet how contrary to the way that many of us are wired to think. It is not boisterousness and bravado that win the day with the ruler. It is the wise, soft spoken and gentle man who can eventually persuade the king on a matter. Consider Daniel for a moment on this matter. He was a very wise man who had tremendous influence on the king. Yet we do not have a single passage where Daniel speaks impassioned words to the king. Joseph was the same way. He was a man of controlled passions when it came to his dealings with Pharaoh. This kind of strength under control allies great power. The king and the Pharaoh came to have great confidence in these godly men. Their words - though gentle in their presentation - were powerful and could accomplish much. Of those who led with forbearance and gentle words, Jesus stands more significant among all. He was patient with His disciples - and submitted Himself to God and even to others when He Himself had once sat at the right hand of God Himself. He spoke in ways that made men marvel - and commanded even the elements to submit to His will. When standing before a corrupt pseudo-court of man - Jesus was able to be quiet - even amazing His captors with His behavior. And when it came to raw displays of power - His simple words, "I am He," in the garden caused a wicked mob to stagger backwards and fall to the ground on their backs. Gentleness bearing great power - Jesus was the epitome of it in life. Too many in our day think that to be influential you have to be a jerk. They see power as something wielded with an iron fist. You don't take anything from anybody - even someone in a position of authority. Such behavior may get you a temporary rung higher on the corporate ladder, but it will NOT bode well for you long into the future. The "gentle-tongued" man does not make the kind of enemies that the man with the macho attitude. He does not leave a trail of crushed egos and smashed careers along the way. The man who triumphs with power and a lack of gentleness will have many who will cheer for his fall. The gentle man learns to break a bone with the gentle and controlled way that he quietly and consistently speaks for his principles. Thus he comes to the point of persuasioin without all the baggage of his blustery counterparts. Learn to influence others wisely. Learn to stand in positions of principle steadfastly. Learn to persuade others with soft, gentle, bone-crushing power. The power you access in the process will not be that of the fleshly elite of this world, whose kingdoms are passing away. The power you access will be that of the Son of God - Who remained silent as a lamb before His shearers - and yet who crushed death and hell under the weight of His godly obedience to His Father. There, dear saints, is power! He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, Therefore do not associate with a gossip. Proverbs 20:19
Did you know that God views gossip and slander as pretty much the same thing? That probably does not sit all that well with some who engage in the sin of gossip - but really do not see themselves as slanderers. Yet from what we will learn in today's proverb, pretty much one is the same as the other. The first thing we learn from today's proverb is that a slanderer reveals secrets. Usually when someone tells you something in confidence they do not want their information spread around. They would prefer that you keep the information to yourself. But the slanderer takes this information that should remain secret and spreads it freely. Since the term "slanderer" is used, we can only assume that the way this information is used is to tear someone down. The "secret" information that they hold about someone else is used to destroy them in the eyes of others. Whether shared as a fact – or as often happens in Christian circles – a prayer request – it has effectively slandered the one who shared it in confidence. This Proverb therefore says that it is very unwise to "associate with a gossip. When we learn that a particular person is not trustworthy with secrets, we need to steer clear of an association with them. They are a gossip. The problem often is that gossips often congregate – around each other’s gossip. Therefore the wise man realizes that in hearing gossip he should check his own heart to make sure he himself is not part of a gossip circle. Once he determines this – he then should limit any association with the person who shared their gossip with him. Loose lips sink ships. This was a saying during the war that spoke of the danger of secrets being revealed. The danger was that a spy could gain information about one of our ships going to help in the fight with Germany. In the wrong hands this information could have proven to be deadly. Therefore one needed to be very careful how they spoke – and even more careful what they spoke to whom. Another saying is also appropriate here. Loose lips sink lives. Gossips are guilty of slander that often sets someone’s life on fire. Their careless words cause havoc to come upon others. The truly wise man – avoids such people. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. Proverbs 18:21
What is the most powerful part of the human body? Contrary to what some may think, the tongue is considered the most powerful part of the human body according to what we see written in the Scriptures. Here we read that it has the power of death and life. Elsewhere we see that the words that come from it can injure like the thrusts of a sword. James has what is probably the most powerful commentary on the power of the tongue in chapter three of his letter. "So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison." (James 3:5-8) James warns us of the very powerful, and potentially very destructive power of the tongue. We can bless or curse with it. A carelessly spoken word like a carelessly thrown match can set an entire forest on fire. But the word can set a life - and indeed a whole group of lives on fire with gossip and slander. Therefore we would be very wise in being very careful with how we let our tongue's loose in the world. It would also be wise of us to heed the admonition given by Paul to the Ephesians when he said, "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear." (Ephesians 4:29) Those who love this power of the tongue, are warned that they will eat of its fruit. Consider the man who destroys others with his words. He writes and speaks so as to destroy his political opponents - and loves the power that this brings to him. He does so until the day another more silver-tongued than him uses this same power to dismember him in the public eye. The power of the tongue is intoxicating - but it is also explosive and very dangerous if not used under the direction of Holy Spirit. But when used in this way - the tongue is not something whcih brings death - but rather a tool in God's hand to bring life and life abundantly! The tongue is also the instrument in God's hands to bring the gospel to others. "How blessed are the feet of those who bring good news," is the delightful refrain for those who speak forth the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our tongues can share the gospel with others and be that aroma of life to life as they are born again by the power and mercies of God. We have the glorious opportunity to speak life every day! So, as we look at this proverb may we both fear and rejoice - may we be both overjoyed and cautious - may we both be silent and vociferous. May we see the destructive power of the tongue and shun it completely - and - may we see the life-giving power of the tongue and joyeously share the good news with total abandon. With the fruit of a man's mouth his stomach will be satisfied; He will be satisfied with the product of his lips. Proverbs 18:20
Here we have a proverb that mixes metaphors. As a result it could be confusing to some. But a closer examination gives us a wonderful instruction about what our mouths and words bring to us. The mixed metaphors walk between what is coming out of our mouths and lips - and what we receive as a result. Much of our struggle to understand this passage is solved when we look at the Hebrew concept of the belly or stomach. This word is used early in this proverb, "With the fruit of a man's mouth his stomach will be satisfied." The word for "stomach" is "beten" which means belly, womb, stomach - but also was used figuratively of the inmost part of man, the place where thoughts were treasured - or - where the inner spiritual self was expressed or satisfied. In Job 32:17-20 Elihu spoke like this. He said, "I too will answer my share, I also will tell my opinion. "For I am full of words; The spirit within me constrains me. "Behold, my belly is like unvented wine, Like new wineskins it is about to burst. "Let me speak that I may get relief; Let me open my lips and answer." Note how Elihu spoke of his belly as he would his heart and spirit. The only thing that gave him relief was to speak and open his lips with an answer to all he heard from Job and his three friends. This is what Solomon speaks of as he says that from the fruit of a man's mouth his stomach will be satisfied. Here the stomach refers to the inner workings of his inner spiritual life. What is said here is that how we speak to others will in great measure help determine what we ourselves are going to be receiving. This is not name it and claim it talk - saying that whatever we say in God's name we can have - claiming it all from Him. This instead speaks of a way that we are either blessed or not by how we speak to others. Speak kindness and lovingly toward others and you will find that what you will receive is reciprocal kindness and love. You will be satisified with what comes back upon you. Speak graciously toward those around you - and graciousness will most likely be what you receive. But if you speak out bitter, resentful, and hurtful words - do not be shocked to see that others will speak in a like manner to you. Our mouths can pave the road of our lives with smooth pavement - or with large rocks. It all depends on how we speak. Speak kindly - and most often those around you will love you and appreciate what you say and how you live. Speak in an ungodly fashion, with harsh, unkind words - and you will have spiritual heartburn. Others will react badly at your evil words and will grant you what you've given to them. Much of the reaction of others to what we say can be gauged by how we say it. Some can even bring bad news - yet because of the spirit in which it is brought the recipient does not react badly. Come with harshness and you will be resented or even cursed by the one who has received it. Remember that it is out of the abundance of our heart that our mouth speaks. Therefore guard your heart closely - because it is the gate-keeper of your mouth. If you wait to speak and think first - you will speak words that are far less incindiary. They will also be words that are treasured by those who hear them. May God always remind us that the right kind of words - spoken in the right spirit - offered for the right motives - will bless others - and will be the souce of much joy. May we become men and women of such wisdom and such words. Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent. Proverbs 17:28
Being a man of few words will lead others to consider you wise - even when you are a fool! That is the promise made to us in today's proverb. It is not meant to be an encouargement to be a much quieter fool of few words. It is meant to be a reminder that talking incessently will be a problem - and will lead many to see you as a fool. The fool mentioned here is a man who is foolish in the sense of his hatred of wisdom. He not only hates wisdon, but he chooses to walk in folly - despising both wisdom and morality. Yet when this foolish man remains silent and closes his lips - it is much more difficult to discern these things. Men consider him wise - and even prudent when he does this. They equate to him understanding and insight. We need to learn from this passage. There is honestly wisdom in being quiet and learning to restrain our penchant for speaking. We want to put our two cents worth into a conversation - but unfortunately may not know that we didn't even have that much to put into the pot. One of the reasons we should remain silent is to see the salvation and power of God at work as we look to Him. As I share my faith I think that if I could only have said a few more things - or made an awesome point - then they would have come to Christ. But the fact is that my speaking will bring no one to Christ. What is needed in the power of God. Therefore it is a wise man whose words are heard more by God than by men. When we pray and look to Him to work - than He works to bring men to conviction, repentance, and faith! Other times to remain silent are when we want to despise our neighbor openly - making statements about them - or even to them. But when we hold our tongue and keep silent, Proverbs 11:12 says that we are being wise and understanding. Often silence will keep us from saying something that will needlessly offend our friend and make them closed to the gospel. Remember this as we close today's proverb. God can do more with a few words that we can do with an entire novel of our own. When He speaks - things happen! Therefore we need to restrain our words - to be the ones that He desires for us to speak. Then we can know that the words we speak will contain real power - real comfort - real conviction - and real love. When people hear us speak in this way - they will know that we are wise men and women. He who has a crooked mind finds no good, And he who is perverted in his language falls into evil. Proverbs 17:20
If you know someone with a perverted mouth - it is because it flows from a morally bankrupt mind. Even as I reread this statement, something within me just recoils from such a strong statement as this - and yet - when we truly understand what God is saying here in Proverbs - that is exactly what is being communicated. The first thing we see here is a man with a "crooked mind." The word for "crooked" is the Hebrew word "iqqesh" and it means to be perverse, twisted, and crooked. The idea is that of someone who has a moral, religous, and social perversion by which their mind works. They do not think thoughts that are aligned with decent morals. They despise not just morals - but also religion and any kind of social contract by which men seek to live together in a decent fashion. They highly despise the idea of morals that are the result of religious principle. They hate such things - seeing themselves as free moral agents to determine whatever morals or lack of them they want. The consequences of such moral mental suicide is that they cannot find any good. This really is not that shocking since they would deny the existance of any kind of universal good or absolute truth. To them truth is relative to the situation - and since they hate moral goodness - it is not difficult to see that they revel in the evil and the godless things of the world - and tend to shy away from anything else. Thus - of course they would reject the good - and not be able to find any in society. The second thing we see is a man who is perverted in his language. Perverted language is language that seeks to throw down, overturn, destroy, and wander from accepted biblical norms of how we should speak. There is a lot of disagreement on what this means in today's society. We've slowly grown to be the first society historically in the church to embrace cursing from the pulpit. The excuse that is so often used is that of saying that words are just words - we are the ones that make them curse words - or at least bad ones. What I find a little disingenuous about all this is that even the world system used to have a set of words that they would not allow on television and movies. It has only been over the past couple of generations that these accepted norms have been overturned in favor of the current "delightful" fare that we've embraced in our day. As you can tell, I am of the opinion that such language is totally unacceptable not just for use in the pulpit - but for use in every day life. It seems to me that as our society has retreated from God - we've also retreated from being circumspect about the things we say. To confess my own sins - I've watched my own speech begin to be down-graded, if you will. The Holy Spirit is in the process of encouraging (and often rebuking) me as He seeks to have me live above the moral cesspool of the accepted speech of my society. The danger here is that we are warned that such speech DOES come from a mind that is being twisted away from the truth. The other danger is that when we do this we are warned that we "fall into evil." Whenever the church thinks it can reach the world by aping the world's behavior - we watch the opposite happen. First, we do not reach the world - but oh, how the world "reaches" us. We watch the same value systems - which might better be called "value-less" systems - that are in the world truly invade the church. When we do not watch our mouths - we will allow a kind of reverse-infection to occur in our hearts. The word used for mind in the first part of this verse actually means, "heart." Therefore when we do not watch our mouths - it is evidence that our hearts have been captured as well. Jesus said that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Therefore is it too strident a thing to say that if we have a perverse mouth - it arises out of a twisted and deceived mind? Our mouths simply reveal what is in our hearts. It would be to our benefit to watch our mouths and be careful what is allowed to come forth from them. In the end - we might look more "appetizing" the world if we do - but could that be simply because we lose the distinction of speaking in a holy manner that embraces purity and righteousness. Let me say one last thing though - unless some get the idea that I think we are to be the public censure of all that is unacceptable speech-wise. We are called to be salt and light. That means we embrace holiness - not as a means of beating the lost to death - but as a means to be different and to be a thirst-creator in our world. The lost WILL become thirsty for what we ARE - and therefore will want the One who has changed us. Our purpose is to allow holiness to be revealed in our lives as a thirst-agent. We are not to use holiness as something to shame the lost into feigned obedience to God. That will do more to harm the gospel than reveal it. So . . . my admonition to you from Scripture is to have a mouth that is radically different than the world. Let your mouth not be filled with perversion - and your heart filled with deception and twisted morals. Instead let it be filled with Your Lord - who, by the way, did not descend into such language anywhwere in the gospels. He simply lived for God - spoke for Him - and although rejected by some - was embraced by many who saw His actions - His words - and His heart - and became incredibly thirsty for real holiness. May God make us those same things in our generation. A worthless man digs up evil, While his words are like scorching fire. Proverbs 16:27
There are those who seem to love digging up dirt on others. These are the ones who love gossip and betrayal and slander. But such a man is a very wicked man. The proverb for today says that a "worthless" man is the one who digs up evil. That word "worthless" is the term, "beliyal" in the Hebrew and it means someone who is a scoundrel and who has no good in himself. This man plots to find and to expose evil in others. We are told that when this wicked man gets the right information to slander and destroy others, he lets it forth in a belching flame of fire. He scorches the earth with his inflamatory language with every intent on destroying his adversaries and causing their reputation to go up in the flames of his evil rhetoric. The term used here are that his words are like scorching fire. The literal is that his lips burn like an uncontrolable fire. We are warned agaisnt such things in James 3:6 where we read, "So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. James 3:5-6 This is why we need to set a guard over our lips and our mouths. Our tongues are a fire themselves and can be the very world of iniquity. If we do not learn how to control our tongues we may learn all too late that our tongues can defile our entire lives and be set on fire by hell itself. That is why we need to make sure that we use our tongues for good rather than for wickedness. May God take our tongues and tame them by His Spirit so that, rather than being a scorching fire set abaze by hell itself - we become one whose words are a healing balm from the Lord Himself! |
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