"In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them." Proverbs 14:3
Jesus said, “from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). This is a good encapsulation of what we are considering today. The foolish person cannot help but have foolishness proceed from his mouth. The reason for this is that his is speaking from a heart that is full of foolish thoughts. When we speak, we do nothing more than express our thoughts through words. We learn in this verse that the verbal expression of foolishness brings punishment and pain in the life of the fool. However, the words of the wise preserve them from punishment that results from folly.
As we consider this, we might be tempted to think “I wish I were just naturally wiser”. This mindset reveals a misunderstanding in the area of humans and wisdom. Wisdom is not naturally attained by anyone. No one has ever passively become wise. This is why the Proverbs are full of imperatives (commands) that instruct us to get wisdom. Wisdom is gained though a pursuit not osmosis. It is a pursuit that will lead to the greatest attainment that is available to human beings; the fear of the Lord, and an understanding of His ways.
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