“Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the fool is near destruction.” Proverbs 10:14
This particular devotion is a painful one for me to write. Solomon continues to compare and contrast wise men and fools. In this instance, the wise person, instead of rashly and quickly speaking up, stores up knowledge and then expresses his thoughts at opportune and appropriate times. The fool is described as someone who is constantly speaking his mind, giving his opinions, dominating the conversation. As a result, his mouth always has him on the edge of destruction. He is either putting his foot in his mouth, offending someone, or just generally annoying to others.
This is an issue that I have always struggled with. I like to talk. I have strong opinions. It often seems important to me to have my opinion heard. As a result, I have painfully known on too many occasions what it means to be near destruction. How can we overcome this? First, by believing that God’s Word is right about this issue. Another passage in Proverbs tells us to ask God to help us in keeping a watch over our mouth. So, we should be aware of the issue, constantly asking God to help us to be aware of our problem. We should also make a point of listening carefully to others before we speak. The first word spoken is often not the most important. Often, it is the last one, the one that is not rash and has carefully considered the issue.
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