He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction. Proverbs 13: 3.
Dear God, we look forward to what you will say to us as we study Your Word today. In the name of Jesus we give You thanks. Amen.
We have studied, on different occasions, about the importance of our words. We know that our words have an influence for good or for evil; for life or for death. We have also seen that the words of the speaker have an influence upon him or her (self), as much as on the person we are talking to. Our text for today informs us that the person who keeps watch over his or her mouth, actually safeguards his or her life.
Have you ever heard the saying, “Be careful that your mouth does not get you into trouble”? Let us consider some of the ways that this might be possible:
First, it is good to remind ourselves, that silence cannot be beat, except when we keep silent in the face of injustice. Sometimes silence is what is needed in order to maintain peace. Peace is the antithesis of war. War destroys – peace preserves. Oftentimes many conflicts would be resolved peacefully, or, dissolved, if one, or both, of the persons involved, simply, kept quiet. Many relationships would be preserved if people did not feel that they always had to have the last word. We may never know how many lives would have been spared, if only, certain words were never spoken. It is better to leave some things, unsaid. Not everything we think, should be verbalized. Not everything we know, should be verbalized.
I think of the story of the Amalekite who saw Saul dying from an unsuccessful attempt at suicide. Saul begged him to finish what he (Saul) had been unable to complete. The Amalekite complied with the dying king’s request. Under the circumstances, he thought that he had done the right thing. Let us take a minute to listen to some of the dialogue that took place on that eventful day: “Then the young man who told him said, ‘As I happened by chance to be on Mount Gilboa, there was Saul, leaning on his spear; and indeed the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. Now when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I answered ‘Here I am.’ And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ So I answerd him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ He said to me again, ‘Please stand over me and kill me, for anguish has come upon me, but my life still remains in me. So I stood over him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was upon his arm, and brought them here to my lord . . . Then David said to the young man who told him, ‘Where are you from?’ And he answered, ‘I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite.’ So David said to him, ‘How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?’ Then David called one of the young men and said, ‘Go near and execute him!’ And he struck him so that he died. So David said to him, ‘Your blood is on your own head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the LORD’s anointed’ “ (1 Chronicles 10: 6-10, 13-16, NKJV, emphasis provided).
Some of us like to be bearers of sad tidings. Let us be careful to guard our mouths. If we must open them wide, let it be to herald the glad tidings, that Jesus saves!
NOTE: There was some editing done to Friday’s devotional.