“In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride, but the lips of the wise will preserve them…Go from the presence of a foolish man, when you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge” (Proverbs 14:3, 7).
Just prior to his third denial of Jesus in the courtyard of the High Priest, a bystander identified Peter as one of His disciples with the proof: “Your speech betrays you” (Mat. 26:72-73). This is true because the mouth is the window of a person’s soul (Mat. 12:34).
Because of this truth, Solomon offers the following advice in these two proverbs:
- A fool’s mouth bursts forth with pride. A fool has “I” disease. The rich farmer in Luke 12 had this malady. Eleven first person singular pronouns (“I” and “my”) spewed forth in just three sentences (vv. 17-19). A fool’s speech is saturated with pride.
- A fool’s mouth always gets him into trouble. Unlike the wise whose lips promote peace and harmony, a fool’s mouth stirs up friction and conflict.
- A fool’s mouth will clearly identify him as a fool. When a person’s speech is bereft of knowledge and anything of value, you can rightly conclude you are in the presence of a fool, and it is time to leave the scene immediately.
Why do I think youth are fools?