Proverbs 21:23-24 Tongue Trouble
Solomon brings us back to the troublesome tongue. The master of the tongue keeps himself out of trouble. A haughty tongue gets him into it.
It is amazing how MUCH trouble could be avoided if we just learned to keep our mouths SHUT! Or at least learned how to censor what comes out of it. I know I have a LONG way to go in this department too!
Solomon speaks of the tongue in several places in the proverbs he shares. Some of those references are vague while others get right to the point. Today’s is one of the latter, as is Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” This whole chapter of Proverbs deals with the tongue in one way or another, with this verse summing it all up. The tongue is powerful ‘tool’ for both good and evil.
Solomon is not the only one to tell us of the power of the tongue. Several of the psalms contain references to the tongue and taming it, as do James, John, Peter and MANY books written by Paul. Jesus speaks of the tongue; including how we will account for every idle word it speaks in the end. There is even a verse where God personally speaks of the tongue and gives instruction concerning it. Leviticus 19 has a few verses in it pertaining to the use of the tongue. The Ten Commandments contain instruction on the tongue; “You shall not take the name of the Lord God in vain” and “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
The tongue gives direction to the body. What is in the heart comes out the mouth and then the body follows its lead. There are those whose ‘every word’ is a lie but if you listen long enough you will hear the content of their hearts. And you will see them living up to or down to the words they speak.
I have found that when I sing praises in the morning, my tongue gets me into a LOT less trouble during the day. When I wake complaining I fall into EVERY mess I come to. My tongue sets the tone and course of my day. I REALLY need to remember this!!!
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer”
(Psalm 19:14}.
Father God THIS is my prayer too! I want my words to reflect You and Your love at all times. Forgive me Father for I KNOW I fall short of this. I was about to make a prediction of falling short in the future too but Your Spirit stopped me. My hands express my words too and I don’t want to set myself up for failure. IF I stumble I KNOW You are there to lift me back up again. Thank You in advance for any forgiveness I will need in the future. Be a shield about me; even from my own tongue!
While I was looking for verses I came across two references I want to share. The first is 5 Ways to Tame Your Tongue. The second is a list of verses that reference the tongue in scripture. I hope you find them valuable too.
