The Potential Damage of the Lips

From W.W. II  we have the phrase “loose lips sink ships”.  This was a propaganda reminder to servicemen and others not to talk loosely about ship deployments/departure times, etc… so as not to divulge information to the enemy which might lead to the enemy being able to attack and/or sink a ship.  There is definitely a lot of potential damage that can be done by “loose lips”.

In Proverbs 10:13-17 we see some more things about the mouth of the foolish.  Let’s read them now:

Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding,
But a rod is for the back of him who is devoid of understanding.  14 Wise people store up knowledge,
But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.  15 The rich man’s wealth is his strong city;
The destruction of the poor is their poverty.  16 The labor of the righteous leads to life,
The wages of the wicked to sin.  17 He who keeps instruction is in the way of life,
But he who refuses correction goes astray.

I’ll zero in on the phrase:  “the mouth of the foolish is near destruction”.  There is so much power in the tongue, and so much potential for problems when we use our tongue and our words unwisely.  The mouth of the foolish is literally near destruction.  We must allow God to guard our words.  We never really know the potential damage that can occur by a foolish mouth.  Loose lips might not sink ships these days but they can certainly damage many, many lives.

In wisdom,
Eric