Proverbs 30:32: “If you have been foolish in exalting yourself, / Or if you have devised evil, put your hand on your mouth.”

July 4th, 2024 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Here we find one last proverb about keeping our mouths shut. Putting your hand to your mouth is a gesture of awestruck, self-imposed silence. Someone said that one way to keep your foot out of your mouth is to keep your mouth covered. Arguments often start when a foolish person holds on to a greedy or poorly thought though position. This proverb says that you can quickly end conflict by simply holding your hand over your mouth. But usually pride and arrogance get in the way and keep us from backing down and admitting error.

We cannot find anywhere in the Bible where God says, “If only my people would talk more.” Instead, over and over, we are told to remain quiet unless we are very sure we have something important to say: “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless” (James 1:26). “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18, NIV). God is saying to believers that we should listen more and speak less. Someone wisely said, “Say what you mean, mean what you say, and don’t be mean when you say it.”

“LORD, help us to stay humble and speak less of ourselves and more of You this day.”