Proverbs 10:21 "The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom."
This verse wraps up a string of four consecutive proverbs that connects a person’s mouth to their morality. Clearly, Solomon wants his readers to understand that what a person says or doesn’t say reveals the condition of their heart. Words don’t just happen. Words don’t just come out of our mouth for no reason. Words are the offspring of character. Children are notorious for trying to avoid this truth. When a child says something nasty or hurtful about another person, a parent will typically ask, “Why did you say that?” only to hear their child respond with, “I don’t know.” When pressed, that child gets very angry or even sad because they know exactly why they said what they said and they don’t want to admit that it came from their heart. Unfortunately, adults can be guilty of the same thing but we won’t respond to the same question with, “I don’t know.” Instead, we will respond by saying, “I didn’t mean what I said.” This is a different way of doing the same thing – trying to avoid admitting that our words reveal our heart.
What we say reveals who we are. Our conversation reveals our composition. What we speak exposes what we are made of. Our words reveal our wisdom or our foolishness. Our speech exposes the content of our heart. This proverb contrasts the words of the righteous with the character of fools. Based on the previous three proverbs, it should be apparent that Solomon isn’t contrasting words with character as much as he is contrasting the results of good character with the consequences of bad character.
Righteousness, or good character, naturally produces right words. Righteous character brings righteous conversation into the ears of many. Right words bring truth to the souls of men, which in turn spiritually nourishes those souls. Later in his book of proverbs, Solomon wrote, “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24). The Psalmist referred to God’s words in a similar way when he wrote, “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103). Job is known for what he said to God in Job 23:12, “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” Good character produces good words and those words carry the potential of feeding the multitudes with truth, wisdom and sound advice. Perhaps there is no greater verse in the Bible than Proverbs 18:21 when it comes to articulating the importance of our words – “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” Our character is so important because our character crafts the words that come from our lips.
While this proverb illustrates the power of the tongue, it focuses more on the POWER OF THE EAR. Just as the tongue is connected to our character, so too is the ear. Just as the heart controls the use of the tongue, it also controls the use of the ear. Righteous lips feed many but they only feed those who have the CHARACTER to LISTEN.
Fools, who lack character and virtue, don’t have a heart to listen to wise words. Fools don’t have a heart to listen to wise counsel. Fools don’t the character necessary to endure sound doctrine. Fools don’t have the virtue necessary to entertain truth. This is why Solomon tells us that they die for “want” or lack of wisdom. Fools, in contrast to the righteous, don’t have the wisdom necessary to listen to right words. Fools lack the wisdom that tells them to read the instructions before operating a dangerous tool. Fools lack the wisdom that instructs them to ask the trained gun owner how to handle a firearm before loading it. Fools lack the wisdom that moves them to research snakes before buying a deadly serpent. Fools die because they lack wisdom. Why do they lack wisdom? Because they didn’t listen to any wisdom. Why don’t fools listen to any wisdom? Because they don’t have the character to patiently and persistently hear wisdom.
Solomon chose these two groups of people and their corresponding descriptions to emphasize more than just the power of our words. He chose these characters and their corresponding actions to emphasize the power of our ears. Both the tongue and the ear are governed by our character.
Some people are exposed to more wisdom than others. Some people grow up with wiser parents than others. Some people grow up with wiser pastors and teachers than others. Some people grow up with wise coaches and employers than others. While that may give some people an advantage in life, it doesn’t guarantee their success nor does it determine another person’s failure who didn’t have those wise people in their life. Wisdom is available to all of us. Wisdom isn’t reserved for those who grow up with wise influences. Wisdom is available for anyone who wants it. Wisdom is available for anyone who seeks it. Wisdom is available for anyone who listens for it.
The lips of the righteous are speaking. The mouths of the wise are moving. Those who have a heart to hear will be fed. Those who lack a heart to hear will not be fed. Those who have the wisdom to listen to wise people will be fed more wisdom. Those who lack the wisdom to listen to wise people will not be fed. As a result, they will say and do things in life that will cause their demise. Fools will not get wisdom because they will not hear wise people. Such people will remain foolish and eventually do foolish things that hasten their death.
The only thing standing between fools and wisdom are two ears. That’s the power of the ear! Just as we can’t blame our words on our tongue, we can’t blame our listening on our ears. In both cases, our hearts are to be blamed. If we do not get wisdom in our lifetime, it is because we did not open our ears to wisdom. That is a character problem; not a hearing problem.
This proverb is less about what we speak and more about how we listen. This proverb is less about righteous lips and more about deaf ears. This proverb is less about feeding others with our words and more about being fed by our ears. What are you listening to? What does your heart open your ears to? What does your heart close your ears to? Does the music you LOVE (heart) listening to bring wisdom or does it prevent wisdom? Does the speaker you LOVE listening to bring wisdom or does it prevent wisdom? Does the person you LOVE listening to bring wisdom or does it prevent wisdom?
What do you LOVE listening to – righteous lips or unrighteous lips?
What we say reveals who we are. Our conversation reveals our composition. What we speak exposes what we are made of. Our words reveal our wisdom or our foolishness. Our speech exposes the content of our heart. This proverb contrasts the words of the righteous with the character of fools. Based on the previous three proverbs, it should be apparent that Solomon isn’t contrasting words with character as much as he is contrasting the results of good character with the consequences of bad character.
Righteousness, or good character, naturally produces right words. Righteous character brings righteous conversation into the ears of many. Right words bring truth to the souls of men, which in turn spiritually nourishes those souls. Later in his book of proverbs, Solomon wrote, “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24). The Psalmist referred to God’s words in a similar way when he wrote, “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103). Job is known for what he said to God in Job 23:12, “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” Good character produces good words and those words carry the potential of feeding the multitudes with truth, wisdom and sound advice. Perhaps there is no greater verse in the Bible than Proverbs 18:21 when it comes to articulating the importance of our words – “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” Our character is so important because our character crafts the words that come from our lips.
While this proverb illustrates the power of the tongue, it focuses more on the POWER OF THE EAR. Just as the tongue is connected to our character, so too is the ear. Just as the heart controls the use of the tongue, it also controls the use of the ear. Righteous lips feed many but they only feed those who have the CHARACTER to LISTEN.
Fools, who lack character and virtue, don’t have a heart to listen to wise words. Fools don’t have a heart to listen to wise counsel. Fools don’t the character necessary to endure sound doctrine. Fools don’t have the virtue necessary to entertain truth. This is why Solomon tells us that they die for “want” or lack of wisdom. Fools, in contrast to the righteous, don’t have the wisdom necessary to listen to right words. Fools lack the wisdom that tells them to read the instructions before operating a dangerous tool. Fools lack the wisdom that instructs them to ask the trained gun owner how to handle a firearm before loading it. Fools lack the wisdom that moves them to research snakes before buying a deadly serpent. Fools die because they lack wisdom. Why do they lack wisdom? Because they didn’t listen to any wisdom. Why don’t fools listen to any wisdom? Because they don’t have the character to patiently and persistently hear wisdom.
Solomon chose these two groups of people and their corresponding descriptions to emphasize more than just the power of our words. He chose these characters and their corresponding actions to emphasize the power of our ears. Both the tongue and the ear are governed by our character.
Some people are exposed to more wisdom than others. Some people grow up with wiser parents than others. Some people grow up with wiser pastors and teachers than others. Some people grow up with wise coaches and employers than others. While that may give some people an advantage in life, it doesn’t guarantee their success nor does it determine another person’s failure who didn’t have those wise people in their life. Wisdom is available to all of us. Wisdom isn’t reserved for those who grow up with wise influences. Wisdom is available for anyone who wants it. Wisdom is available for anyone who seeks it. Wisdom is available for anyone who listens for it.
The lips of the righteous are speaking. The mouths of the wise are moving. Those who have a heart to hear will be fed. Those who lack a heart to hear will not be fed. Those who have the wisdom to listen to wise people will be fed more wisdom. Those who lack the wisdom to listen to wise people will not be fed. As a result, they will say and do things in life that will cause their demise. Fools will not get wisdom because they will not hear wise people. Such people will remain foolish and eventually do foolish things that hasten their death.
The only thing standing between fools and wisdom are two ears. That’s the power of the ear! Just as we can’t blame our words on our tongue, we can’t blame our listening on our ears. In both cases, our hearts are to be blamed. If we do not get wisdom in our lifetime, it is because we did not open our ears to wisdom. That is a character problem; not a hearing problem.
This proverb is less about what we speak and more about how we listen. This proverb is less about righteous lips and more about deaf ears. This proverb is less about feeding others with our words and more about being fed by our ears. What are you listening to? What does your heart open your ears to? What does your heart close your ears to? Does the music you LOVE (heart) listening to bring wisdom or does it prevent wisdom? Does the speaker you LOVE listening to bring wisdom or does it prevent wisdom? Does the person you LOVE listening to bring wisdom or does it prevent wisdom?
What do you LOVE listening to – righteous lips or unrighteous lips?
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