Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest, and causest to approach unto Thee, that he may dwell in Thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, even of Thy holy temple.
Psalm 65:4
He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.
Proverbs 12:3
“He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.” Proverbs 13:3
“They said therefore among themselves, ‘Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be’, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, ‘They parted My raiment among them, and for My vesture they did cast lots.’ These things therefore the soldiers did.” John 19:24
“For these things were done, that the Scripture should be fulfilled, ‘A bone of him shall not be broken.’ And again another Scripture saith, ‘They shall look on Him whom they pierced.’ ” John 19:36-37
Let us all pray for the wise use of our mouth and lips; especially in this day when people are spouting all kinds of vulgar, mean, and rude things; and in doing so show no respect for our fellow member of Adam’s race.
Let us rather speak words that will glorify our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who loved us so much, as God Incarnate, laid down His life on the cross and died for our sins, was buried, and He rose again. In doing this thing of grace He fulfilled Scripture. There is no better thing we can do that tell others that “Jesus died for our sins…”.
“There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.” Proverbs 20:15
“And Jesus answering said unto them, ‘Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the Scriptures, neither the power of God?’ ” Mark 12:24
Father all glorious, powerful and Almighty; all praise belongs to You. There is no God like You; because there is no God but You. All others are the makings of the minds of wicked men and women.
The Psalmist wrote, Lord, “It is time for You, LORD, to work: for they have made void Your law”. You have empowered Your people to stand upon Your word by faith and through the grace given to us through the death, burial and resurrection of Your Son Jesus. We ask, O LORD, that You burden our hearts for a renewing of Your Spirit within our hearts, souls, mind and strength that we might more fully live for You and glorify Your Most High and holy name.
Give us, O LORD, a new hunger for the reading, the study, application and knowledge of Your holy word, the Bible. How can we serve You or know You more fully without that hunger for Your word? There is no knowing You or knowledge of You without Your word. Forgive us, Lord, for our willful ignorance of You, Your way and Your will for our lives because of our lack of interest, and lack of faith in the words of the Bible.
Send upon us, O LORD, a new burden for the hopeless, the helpless, the lost, the perishing, the weak, and the innocent; and may we with a renewed spirit of fire and zeal seek to bring them to Jesus our Lord and Savior. Also, Lord, that we who know You would live by faith a faithful life that honors and glorifies You holy and glorious name. Amen.
“The mouth of a righteous is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.
In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.” Proverbs 10:11-13 (KJB)
“A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence.
He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.” Proverbs 13:2-3 (KJB)
“Doth not wisdom cry, and understanding put forth her voice?
She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.
Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man. O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.
Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things.” Proverbs 8:1-6 (KJB)
The Mouth of the Wise and Righteous – Proverbs 10:1-32
At least 13 times in chapter ten there is reference to “mouth”, “lips”, or “tongue”. Verses 6, 11, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 31, and 32 with a couple of verses having two references.
There is power in our use of words with our tongues, lips, our mouth; hear what God says about the power of the tongue; “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (Proverbs 18:21).
From Warren W. Wiersbe –
Wise and righteous are key words in this chapter, and they go together, for the wise practice righteousness and the righteous grow in wisdom.
The wise bring joy and not grief to their parents (v. 1). They will take advantage of God-given opportunities (v. 5) and will obey orders (v. 8). Wise people gather knowledge (v. 14) and share it with others (vv. 13, 21, 31). They also know when to be quiet (v. 19). They do not jest about sin (v. 23) but are serious about obeying the Lord.
The righteous have God’s protection and provision (vv. 2–3, 24–25), and He blesses them in life (v. 6) and after death (v. 7). Their words give life (vv. 11, 20–21, 31–32), and their works prosper (v. 16). Their future is secure (v. 30) and joyful (v. 28).
If you are wise and righteous, those traits will be revealed by your words (vv. 6, 11, 14, 20–21, 31–32) as well as by your works.
Of verse 6 Matthew Henry Commentary says,
“Verse 6
Here is, 1. The head of the just crowned with blessings, with the blessings both of God and man. Variety of blessings, abundance of blessings, shall descend from above, and visibly abide on the head of good men, real blessings; they shall not only be spoken well of, but done well to. Blessings shall be on their head as a coronet to adorn and dignify them and as a helmet to protect and secure them. 2. The mouth of the wicked covered with violence. Their mouths shall be stopped with shame for the violence which they have done; they shall not have a word to say in excuse for themselves (Job 5:16); their breath shall be stopped with the violence that shall be done to them, when their violent dealings shall return on their heads, shall be returned to their teeth.”
The Believer’s Bible Commentary –
10:11 The mouth of a righteous person is a well of life flowing with words of edification, comfort, and counsel. The mouth of the wicked is silenced by his violence and malice.
10:15 The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Those who have money can make money. The poor man can’t get started; his poverty is his undoing. The rich can buy quality merchandise that lasts longer. The poor buy worn-out, second-hand things that keep them poor with repair bills. This is the way things are in life, but not the way they should be.
The ESV Study Bible –
Prov. 10:12–18 These verses constitute a paragraph, with both vv. 12 and 18 mentioning hatred and both using the word covers/conceals (Hb. kasah); the individual verses relate to this overall theme. At the center of the section is a statement about wealth and poverty (v. 15) that requires careful attention. Though wealth can represent strength, and poverty can lead to ruin, the verses that precede and follow v. 15 (vv. 12–14 and 16–18) reinforce the call to recognize that what people pursue and how they pursue it are more important than what they possess (see 28:6, 20). Deception conceals a hatred (10:18a) that causes contention among others (v. 12a) and ruin for the person who deals in it (vv. 14b, 16b). Seeking wisdom (vv. 13a, 14a, 17a) through obedience, by contrast, fosters a love that can make peace with others (v. 12b); such a path leads to life (vv. 16a, 17a).
Prov. 10:19–21 These three proverbs contrast the prudent and productive character of righteous speech with the revealed emptiness of what is concealed in foolish speech (see v. 18).
It would seem, in looking at most of these verses, not related to the mouth, that they are connected by slouth.
Verses 31 – 32 speak of the froward (Perversive, fraudulent) mouth. First the froward mouth will be cut off; secondly, it is the way of the wicked.
-Tim A. Blankenship
“An ungodly man digs up evil,
And it is on his lips like a burning fire.
A perverse man sows strife,
And a whisperer separates the best of friends.
A violent man entices his neighbor,
And leads him in a way that is not good.
He winks his eye to devise perverse things;
He purses his lips and brings about evil.” Proverbs 16:27-30 (NKJV)
What do I want for Christmas?
I want to always be a man of honesty, integrity, and strength in the LORD; and to never sow strife between friends, or enemies, but to seek to bring others together through the love, power, mercy, and grace of our Lord.
What do I want for Christmas?
I want to always guard my mouth and tongue that I not speak, or write anything that unnecessisarily offends others; or attacks them personally; and that I might always speak what lifts up my Lord and God Jesus Christ.
Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.” Psalm 141:3-4 (KJV)
“If his children forsake My law, and walk not in My judgments; if they break My statutes, and keep not My commandments; then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless My lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer My faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of My lips.” Psalm 89:30-34 (KJV)
The Psalm has much to do with God’s promises to the Davidic line of the kingdom of Israel. Written by Ethan the Ezrahite; possibly a Levitical singer mentioned in 1 Chronicles 6:43, and 15:17-19 (From the MacArthur Study Bible note on Psalm 89: Title).
One of the things that I have noticed in the study of Scripture over the years; that there is one thing that truly stands out; and that is that God loves His people, and receives us just as we are; but He loves us too much to leave us the way we are. That is why He chastises, disciplines, and corrects us.
No one of us would ever think or say that the discipline or chastisement of the LORD is a pleasant thing; no more than we would say that when our father took us out behind the wood shed that that was a pleasant thing. We learn from our Father’s chastisement; and we should be grateful for it.
Even though God chastens His children He will never forsake us. His covenant will not be broken, neither will the thing that has gone out of His lips be altered.
Something those who claim to be Christian and God’s people need to realize in our day. God, neither His Word, neither His covenant changes with the times or the seasons. He does not change to fit the culture; neither does His Word.
God’s word is sure, stedfast, relevant for the day, and it is still powerful; and every jot and tittle will be fulfilled (Matthew 5:18). Stand with God, and His Word; or fall for anything.
“Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” Job 2:8-9 (KJV)
Job was a blessed man with a large family, loving wife, much land, cattle, camels, sheep, oxen, donkeys, and many servants who were loyal to him. He was one of the wealthiest men who ever lived.
The book of Job is believed to be the oldest of the Old Testament books. He is believed to have lived around the time of Abraham, and possibly sometime before. The book was written sometime before Moses wrote Genesis and the rest of the Law. Job believed in God, and he believed God.
Satan, the devil, that old serpent sought to cause Job harm by seeking God’s permission to cause Job suffering, loss, trial, and pain. Just a thought here to the child of God: Satan can never touch you unless he gets God’s permission first; and if God gives him permission to touch you it is because God knows you can handle it.
Notice this about Satan. He is always going from the presence of the LORD (1:12; 2:7).
I said Job had a loving wife above. She did not enjoy the pain and suffering that had come to them. She was suffering too with the loss of their children, all their wealth; and then the skin diseases with boils, and such. It was, she thought, more than she could bear; so she said to Job, “Curse God and die”.
Job understood her pain. He also had a heart for God, and believed that the blessings he had lived with were from God, and that the suffering was allowed by God.
Are you suffering today? Think about Job. Think about God’s goodness, grace and love. When you love God there is nothing that can cause you to curse God; but thank Him, praise Him, love Him; because there is no other who can hold you and keep you.
God loves you. He has proven that love by the cross of His Son Jesus who suffered, beatings, mocking, rejection, and loss. He was put on display to show the wondrous love of God.
O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto Him, ‘Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, ‘Ye are our gods: for in Thee the fatherless findeth mercy.” Hosea 14:1-3 (KJV)
The Israeli society of the prophet Hosea’s day was not dissimilar from our own. They worshipped gods aplenty. There is not many in our society today who would admit to worshipping “gods”, but the United States of America is full of dieties which are worshipped. There are two I can think of which are promoted everyday. One is Democracy, as though that is the answer for all ills and lack of freedom in the world. The other is Capitalism as though that will solve all the financial ills of the world. There are others; Money and finance, Science and technology, and Global unity. One that may make even the best of people angry is we worship our children too.
I see it everyday. People will jump when their children say “Jump”, “I have a ballgame tonight. It is 100 miles away.” Mom and Dad will take off from work to go to the game. Many will not get up early enough on Sunday morning to darken the doors of their local church and worship the only one and true God.
The Return is when God’s people will hear God’s voice and return to Him, and realize that the only hope I have; the only hope and promise we have is in the LORD of all things. You will find Him in the cross of His Son Jesus; His death, burial and bodily resurrection.
-T.A.
Reading today in Matthew 11 – 13
We have all heard the language people use on the street, many times in business, at work, at recreation and play. We hear it from children, both special needs children and “normal” children; and that is most generally because the children hear it from their parents or legal guardians.
When I read the following Scriptures that tell me, “…out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” then there are an massive amounts of people; young and old; who have corrupted abundance in their hearts:
“O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” Matthew 12:34-37 (KJV)
Maybe the next time you let a vile, corrupted word fly from you tongue and lips you better check your heart. It is corrupt if you let words fly that are vile, dirty, rude, hurtful, filthy, and/or ungodly.
These are the words of Jesus Christ; the purest of men; the God man who gave His life for our sins.
Consider that before you open you mouth to speak.
-Tim A. Blankenship
The Righteous King
Proverbs 16:10-15
Looking at the life of Solomon we find a heart partially devoted to the LORD; a divided heart; unlike David his father whose “was a man after God’s own heart”. If there is to be righteousness in the land of kings, then there must be righteous kings.
In light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that we have been decreed as “kings and priests” (Revelation 1:6; 1 Peter 2:9) of God through Jesus Christ then we find in these Proverbs how we should reign, and that is in the likeness of our Lord and Savior and our God Jesus Christ.
OUTLINE –
I. THE RIGHTEOUS KING MAKES GODLY DECREES, AND RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENTS (v. 10-11).
II. THE RIGHTEOUS KING LIVES RIGHTEOUSLY, AND ESTABLISHES THE THRONE IN RIGHTEOUSNESS (v. 12).
III. THE RIGHTEOUS KING APPRECIATES, LOVES, AND DELIGHTS IN LIPS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (v. 13).
IV. THE RIGHTEOUS KING IS RESPECTED AND REVERED AS JUST IN HIS JUDGMENTS (v. 14).
V. THE RIGHTEOUS KING’S COUNTENANCE BRINGS JOY TO THOSE WHO WERE IN HIS DISPLEASURE (v. 15).
THE RIGHTEOUS KING MAKES GODLY DECREES, AND RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENTS (v. 10-11). One thing that is needed in the Nations, States, Counties, Cities, and homes and churches of the world is leaders who have a righteous heart.
There is truly only one who has the completely righteous heart and His name is Jesus. Those who are in Him; through having trusted Him, His work on the cross, His burial and bodily resurrection; have the “mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).
In Christ Jesus and Him alone can we make Godly decrees, and righteous judgments. Many of the judgments made by the Judiciary of the United States, and many other countries are not made in righteousness, but for what is popular or politically expedient.
Pro 16:11 – A just weight and balance are the Lord’s,…. These are of his devising; what he has put into the heart, of men to contrive and make use of, for the benefit of mankind, for the keeping and maintaining truth and justice in commercial affairs; these are of his appointing, commanding, and approving, Lev. 19:35;
all the weights of the bag are his work; or, “all the stones” ; greater or smaller, which were formerly used in weighing, and were kept in a bag for that purpose; these are by the Lord’s appointment and order. This may be applied to the Scriptures of truth, which are of God; are the balance of the sanctuary, in which every doctrine is to be weighed and tried; what agrees with them is to be received, and what is found wanting is to be rejected. The Targum is,
“His works, all of them, are weights of truth.”
When Jesus Christ comes back to earth He will make all things right and Just. When we go to Him for a judgment we can rest assured that it will be a righteous judgment.
THE RIGHTEOUS KING LIVES RIGHTEOUSLY, AND ESTABLISHES THE THRONE IN RIGHTEOUSNESS (v. 12). The only King who has lived without sin was the King of kings; Jesus Christ Son of the Living God.
The writer of Proverbs says, “When the righteous are in authority the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn” (29:2). When true righteousness is in authority, there is reason the people rejoice.
1. There is a ruler who fears God;
2. There is fairness in appointments, and the courts;
3. There is a just trading system;
4. There is justice in the courts;
5. There is no fear of the enemy.
THE RIGHTEOUS KING APPRECIATES, LOVES, AND DELIGHTS IN LIPS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (v. 13). What king, president, or any ruler can stand for long who is surrounded by liars? Lying lips are not righteous lips.
Righteous lips love the truth, seek the truth, and are truthful themselves. Our Righteous King, the King of kings is the living Truth, and in Him is no lie at all. Some one has given us this quote, “Liars never figure, and figures never lie”. If you tell the truth about something you never need to remember what you said; but when you lie, it will come back to get you.
A righteous leader; be they president, king, pastor, husband, father, mother, or boss; needs always to be surrounded by people who will tell the truth.
“Buy the truth and sell it not…” (23:23), and it seems that “Love the truth” would fit there as well. Why “Buy the truth” if you don’t love it also.
We can see today what lying does with the stock market and people’s lives. For example: Bernie Madoff who scammed, swindled, and suckered punched many investors out of billions of dollars, living a lie. Now the man has brought ruin to the lives of the people he stole their life savings from, his own family, harmed his nation, and destroyed his own life.
THE RIGHTEOUS KING IS RESPECTED AND REVERED AS JUST IN HIS JUDGMENTS (v. 14). King David was loved, respected and revered by many including his family; at least until he sinned with Bathsheba [Uriah’s wife], and brought harm to his own family and the nation.
Unrighteous living is costly for the one who is righteous. We must understand that righteousness is not from our own selves. Righteousness comes from God; for only He is righteous.
If there is to be righteousness it comes from Christ alone who is our righteousness. “For God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
A righteous king, or ruler would give His life for his subjects. An unrighteous king expects his subjects to give their lives for him. “There is no king like that “, someone might say. Oh, but there is His name is Jesus; and He gave His life on the cross of calvary that those who will trust Him, believe Him, might have eternal life. He faced the judgment for our sins, the wrath of His Father to pay the sin debt; our sin debt; that we might be saved, having our account paid in full, by His precious shed blood.
We can trust a king like that. We can believe that this type of king would be loved, respected and revered, and be just in all his judgments.
THE RIGHTEOUS KING’S COUNTENANCE BRINGS JOY TO THOSE WHO WERE IN HIS DISPLEASURE (v. 15). A righteous king can be offended, and when one of his subjects offends him his countenance fades.
When his subject offends him realizing that he/she has done so, and they seek the king’s forgiveness the king’s countenance will be brighter, and favorable toward the one who had offended.
When I think of all the times that I have offended King Jesus, and know that His countenance was not favorable toward me for that offense, then, I know that I must seek forgiveness. I can know before hand that in genuinely seeking forgiveness He will forgive me; but I must not willfully seek to offend Him.
Our righteous King Jesus is often offended by His subjects, but when we seek His face we know that we are cleansed and forgiven; and our joy is restored in Him.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:9-10 (KJV)
There is eternal joy in the presence of the forgiving King. His countenance is bright and pleasant and warm to all those who come to Him.
-Tim A. Blankenship
We have in these verses further explanation of the “washing with unclean hands” issue which the scribes and Pharisees had attacked Jesus and His disciples. It seems that the men were thoroughly offended by Jesus’s remarks, “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man”, and His disciples noticed. Does anyone ever give thought to what might “offend” Jesus? Just a thought.
“Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.” Matthew 15:12-20 (KJV)
Jesus is the Son of God, the Prophet of God foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18); and not a bit concerned about offending the disgusting arguments of manmade doctrines. He even goes on and tells His disciples that “Every plant not planted by My Father will be uprooted”. He is probably speaking of these foolish doctrines, and He could be speaking of the Pharisees themselves, or maybe both. Doctrines that are false will one day be revealed as being false. The doctrines of men are usually false doctrines which bind men, rather than setting them free, as the doctrines of God do.
This part of the verse which speaks of the “blind leading the blind” somewhat reminds me of the Financial chaos of our nation [USA] and that of the world. One bankrupt nation, asking loan from other nations who are nearing bankruptcy, sounds as though the blind are leading the blind, at least to me. Enough of that. The doctrines of men will fall, and those who follow the doctrines of men; unless they are drawn by the Spirit of God to Jesus; will also fall into the ditch, because; in essence they are blind.
Jeremiah the prophet said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” 17:9 (KJV). We often think that we know what is in our “heart”, and then when we get too assured about it something will happen, and bring us down from our perch. Understand, that when we speak of the “heart” here we are not talking about that blood pump in our chest. The “heart” could also be rendered as our “Innermost being”. It is the seat of our being, our soul and our spirit. It is that within us that is eternal, and that will never die. God/Jesus Christ is the only one who can know our hearts.
Some of the men and women who are in prison for murder, negligent homocide, manslaughter, and some other things, never thought they would be there. They had better plans than spend a good portion of their lives in prison. They were full of themselves, and not God. When you get to thinking, “I know what’s in my heart” you may find yourself in trouble. The only way to know your heart is to know the One who knows your heart, and that is Jesus Christ. Look what Jesus says comes from our hearts – “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies…”; these He says, “Defile the man”, and “man” here is generic for all of us; male and female.
We can so easily become carried away by teachings of men which empower us over others, and that is what the Pharisees were trying to do with Jesus. By showing themselves more knowledgeable than Him; by showing themselves more holy than Jesus they thought to prove Him a blasphemer. Since Jesus was who He claims to be, then their words were empty and powerless. They were the words of men and not of God. They were defiled in their hearts, and thus could only give “lip service” to God.
How is your heart today?
-Tim A. Blankenship
Broken Pieces 