We are to guard our mouth and we think we can do that by making a decision of the will, yet our mouth is also connected to our physical and emotional nature. For our safety, we are wired to react instinctively to some dangers before our rational mind is engaged and this wiring is also subject to emotional responses that happen in our physical body. We can only bring our mouth under control when we have our heart right because as Jesus said in Luke 6:45 (LEB) “The good person out of the good treasury of his heart brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasury brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks”. It is our job to fill our hearts with God’s instruction in Proverbs 22:17 (LEB) “Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise; you shall apply your heart to my teaching” and we do this as we invite the teacher, the Holy Spirit to instruct us as Jesus said in John 14:26 (LEB) “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name—that one will teach you all things, and will remind you of everything that I said to you”.
It Is a Joy to the Righteous to do Justice
He Who Guards His Mouth Guards His Life
Proverbs 21:17-25
Our mouth is a key to success but it is driven by what is in our heart and also by our natural desires. These are strong emotional and physical drives that overcome our thoughts to keep our mouth shut. How many people have said they will change their eating habits to lose weight or for health reasons and they continue eating the breads and pasta and cakes and they’ve heard someone say a glass of wine is good for your heart. The discipline to eat what they need is overcome by the pleasure they feel and in
Proverbs 21:17 (LEB) A man of want is he who loves pleasure; he who loves wine and oil will not become rich.
Then there are those things that come out of our mouth. Some people seem to love drama and are digging for some scandal or trouble and are easily offended and often offensive as the claim to “just tell it like it is”. What they see as trouble all around is often coming from their own action and reactions in
Proverbs 21:23 (LEB) He who guards his mouth and his tongue, he guards his life from danger.
The only way to control our mouth is to deal with our heart because, as Jesus taught in
Luke 6:45 (LEB) The good person out of the good treasury of his heart brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasury brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
We must seek instruction from God and hide His work in our hearts so there is a “good treasury” there as we are told in
Proverbs 3:1–2 (LEB) My child, do not forget my instruction, and may your heart guard my commands. 2 For length of days, years of life, and peace they shall add to you.
Victory Belongs to the Lord
Proverbs 21:26–31
A Reputation is to be Chosen
He Who is Generous Will be Blessed
Proverbs 22:6–10
God’s ways are counter-intuitive and it seems to the natural man that holding on to what I have would cause an increase. But God says in
Proverbs 22:9 (LEB) He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives to the poor from his own bread.
The generous person has a different mind set and doesn’t worry about the little they may give because they know they will always have enough because Jesus taught this in
Luke 6:38 (LEB) Give, and it will be given to you, a good measure—pressed down, shaken, overflowing—they will pour out into your lap. For with the measure by which you measure out, it will be measured out to you in return.”
Do you trust in God? Do you know the promises, that “God is able to cause all grace to abound to you? The natural man says work harder, work more. God says in
Exodus 34:21 (LEB) Six days you will work, and on the seventh day you will rest; in the time of plowing and in the time of harvest you will rest.
Even in the busiest seasons of life, the times of planting and the times of harvest, we are to rest and honor the Lord in
Isaiah 58:13–14 (LEB) If you hold your foot back from the Sabbath, from doing your affairs on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a pleasure, the holy day of Yahweh honorable, if you honor him ⌊more than⌋ doing your ways, than finding your affairs and speaking a word, 14 then you shall take your pleasure in Yahweh, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth, and I will feed you the heritage of Jacob your ancestor, for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.”
The Lord Preserves Those With Knowledge
Incline Your Ear and Hear
Proverbs 22:17–23
Wisdom, the instruction we need for life, comes from God and we can find it easily in His written word, the Bible. This instruction though doesn’t come through rote, “mechanical or habitual repetition of something to be learned”.1 This instruction comes as you
Proverbs 22:17 (LEB) Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise; you shall apply your heart to my teaching.
There are many things Jesus taught and we find them in the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and we are to read them, but Jesus also told us to receive the teacher, the Holy Spirit in
John 14:25–26 (LEB) These things I have spoken to you while residing with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name—that one will teach you all things, and will remind you of everything that I said to you.
This is how true understanding and revelation comes to us as we “incline our ear and hear”.
Do Not Remove An Ancient Boundary
Proverbs 22:24–29
Study Verses
- Proverbs 21:17-25 He Who Guards His Mouth Guards His Life
- Proverbs 22:6010 He Who is Generous Will be Blessed
- Proverbs 22:17–23 Incline Your Ear and Hear
Today’s Reading
- Proverbs 21:11-31
- Proverbs 22:1-29
References
- 1. Oxford US Dictionary, https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/rote
