Proverbs 10:19 & 20 Watch Your Mouth! Continued…

Today’s verses, like our last study, also speak of the importance of the words that come out of our mouths.


Proverbs 10:19 & 20 (NKJV)

19 In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,
But he who restrains his lips is wise.
20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
The heart of the wicked is worth little.


I love the way that the New Living Translation, which is a paraphrase Bible, renders this verse! “ Don’t talk to much, for it fosters sin. Be sensible and turn off the flow!” I think that says it pretty well. It is when we get carried away while speaking, that we (or maybe I should say, “I”) have a tendency to add things that “exaggerate” a bit. If you look at it, “exaggeration” is, in essence, lying. Often, if I keep it simple and “just the facts…” then things will come out the way they need to for me to stay on track with what the Lord would want.


As we have seen in past verses that we have studied, God wants the words that we speak to be a source of “riches” to others. This verse says, like “choice silver.”


As we saw in our last study, the words we speak spring from our “hearts,” and Biblically speaking, that means from our inner-most beings… our true selves. Those words from Jesus are just so important that I am going to repeat them here again, for they are something that needs to take root in our “hearts” so that we will be deterred from getting carried away in our speaking.


Matthew 12:34b-37 (NKJV)

34b For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”