As we journey through Proverbs, you can really pick out any phrase and focus on its content and meaning. I want to zoom in specifically to 14:3.
“By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them.”
Proverbs 14:3 ESV
We all know that a person who is prideful and foolish strikes down those around him or her. We witness these types of people every day. However, this verse turns the focus back to the fool. In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back. The prideful man not only strikes down others, but he strikes down himself!
The context here is speaking to someone who is hostile to God. I don’t believe it is speaking of the believer who slips up, but rather, the fool who despises God and rebels by using his words and his tongue to take down others. Goliath is a great example of this point. He boasted against God’s people and his words came back to strike him down.
“The words of the fool shape themselves into a rod that is ready for his enemies to use on him. This proverb calls to mind that many people are their own worst enemy; given enough rope, they prepare a noose for their own hanging.”
Nelson’s Commentary
The protection offered to the lips of the wise is only because of their status with God. It’s a natural progression. A believer humbly acknowledges their sin, and repents of it. Their standing with God is complete freedom and forgiveness in Jesus Christ. Through the Holy Spirit, they receive God’s knowledge and are empowered with wisdom to use their words and tongue to glorify God. This is what enables the great promise of protection.
So at the core of this phrase, we find two different responses to God’s plan for sinners. A fool tears others down en route to their own destruction. Those who have been awakened to God’s ways repent, receive grace through faith, and exercise their tongue to the glory of God. Two very different people. Which are you?
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As I journey through life I have been back and forth between foolish and wise. In the times that I made foolish decisions it has always led to a destructive outcome. Thankfully when I yield to the voice of the Holy Spirit the Lord can turn it to His good. The prayer of my heart is that the words I say are worth listening to by the people around me and that my life emulates wise choices.
Well said, Jane. Amen!