July 2nd, 2016
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

HEARTS AND MOUTHS

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

Gracious Lord, You are all wisdom. Teach me the ways of holiness, compassion and love. Teach me the way of Christ.

Read PROVERBS 21:1–31

[1] In the LORD’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him. [2] A person may think their own ways are right, but the LORD weighs the heart. [3] To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. [4] Haughty eyes and a proud heart- the unplowed field of the wicked-produce sin. [5] The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. [6] A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare. [7] The violence of the wicked will drag them away, for they refuse to do what is right. [8] The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright. [9] Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. [10] The wicked crave evil; their neighbors get no mercy from them. [11] When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom; by paying attention to the wise they get knowledge. [12] The Righteous One takes note of the house of the wicked and brings the wicked to ruin. [13] Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered. [14] A gift given in secret soothes anger, and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath. [15] When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers. [16] Whoever strays from the path of prudence comes to rest in the company of the dead. [17] Whoever loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich. [18] The wicked become a ransom for the righteous, and the unfaithful for the upright. [19] Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife. [20] The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down. [21] Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor. [22] One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty and pull down the stronghold in which they trust. [23] Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity. [24] The proud and arrogant person-“Mocker” is his name- behaves with insolent fury. [25] The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work. [26] All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing. [27] The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable- how much more so when brought with evil intent! [28] A false witness will perish, but a careful listener will testify successfully. [29] The wicked put up a bold front, but the upright give thought to their ways. [30] There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD. [31] The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD.

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Meditate

A wise person once observed: “It has been said it takes two years to learn to talk and seventy years to learn to keep your mouth shut” (Unknown).

Think Further

There’s no escaping the wisdom of God. Hearts, homes, courts of law and banks are spheres of his concern. No one can live as if they could not benefit from what he thinks.

 

Who’s in charge? Kings and ordinary mortals rightly plan ahead. Our capacity to prepare for what we can see coming is part of our reflection of the Father’s providing care. But just because my electronic organizer has an entry for a meeting or a holiday, it doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen. It’s not just circumstances that are beyond my control; my very intentions are themselves under God’s power, to shape and direct. He can irrigate the lives of others by his work in my heart, for it is God who works in us “to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Phil. 2:13). Our chapter today is topped and tailed with this fact (1,2; 30,31). Your heart is under God’s power; and so is the outflow. Some of that outflow is verbal.

 

Your mouth matters. The lack of mention of husbands’ defects in verses 9 and 19 doesn’t invalidate their message. It would indeed be better to live in a corner of your flat roof (no, don’t picture a Western pitched roof!), cramped, outside and cold at night, than have the whole house and a quarrelsome wife. The potential for the heart to spill destructive speech out of the mouth pollutes commerce as well as marriages (6). As ill-gotten gains evaporate they leave the fraudster trapped by, say, the law or the IRS. Lies even corrupt the courts (28). The perjurer perishes and the lives he has touched are ruined. What a liability the mouth is! Better for everyone’s sake to guard it (23). James issues similarly strong and wise warnings (1:19–21, 3:1–12).

Apply

God will accomplish his purposes, but if we desire to be a part, we must be prepared and obedient. Are you doing your part?

Closing prayer

Lord, whose every word is good and true, let my mouth be the overflow from a good and true heart, a heart surrendered to You.

Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.

© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.

Encounter with God is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.

View all readings

Get ENCOUNTER:

in your email:

in Print:

Become a Member | Visit our store