Mouth of the Righteous – Proverbs 10:10-14

What do people say about the way you talk?  “She never knows when to stop!”  “He isn’t to be trusted.”  “I always learn something from her.”  “I always come away better for our conversations.”  Living out Biblical wisdom is much about how we use our mouths.

Whoever winks the eye causes trouble, and a babbling fool will come to ruin.

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.

On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.

The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near. (Proverbs 10:10-14, ESV)

A big part of living wisely, living godly lives, is the way we communicate.  Body language and words are two avenues of communication, and there is a foolish way and a wise way to communicate with these avenues.

Winking has become a way of signaling that what one is saying does not carry the whole or even the true message.  In our culture it is often done with a knowing smile and private look to another to let them know that what is being said to someone else is not what should be entirely understood.  It is meant as an acceptable lie, but it keeps someone in the dark and enlightens someone else about real intentions.  It often means we’ve given up trying to be honest with someone and we want to let someone else in on that so they know that we know the real score.  There may be some situations in which that is called for, but there are many more in which we have opted out of trying because we want to control the someone we’re concealing truth from.  Not good.

But babbling on and on is not a good option, either.  Too many words (as verse 19 suggests) leads to transgression and “brings ruin near”.  Wise speakers “lay up knowledge,” which often comes from listening first (12:15; 13:1; 15:31,32; 19:20; 25:12), and then speak with “understanding” that brings “life”.

At the heart of bad communication is a bad heart, one that is hateful of others because it sees the power others have as an impediment to one’s own power.  But the hateful heart, if it is not in a strong enough power position, knows that it must conceal its hatred or lose power, so it conceals.  But inevitably truth leaks out and its hatred stirs up strife and violence.  This deserves the punishment of the rod.

At times one hesitates to reprove or admonish evil-doers, either because one seeks a more favorable moment or fears his rebuke might make them worse, and further, discourage weak brethren from seeking to lead a good and holy life, or turn them aside from the faith. In such circumstances forbearance is not prompted by selfish considerations but by well advised charity.

What is reprehensible, however, is that while leading good lives themselves and abhorring those of wicked men, some, fearing to offend, shut their eyes to evil deeds instead of condemning them and pointing out their malice. To be sure, the motive behind their malice is that they may suffer no hurt in the possession of those temporal goods which virtuous and blameless men may lawfully enjoy; still there is more self-seeking here than becomes men who are mere sojourners in this world and who profess the hope of a home in heaven.

Citation: Saint Augustine in City of God. Christianity Today, Vol. 40, no. 12.