These days there is a lot of focus on the mind. People take pride in how “smart” they are and it’s super important to be able to figure things out. When you read the Bible however, the clear focus is on the heart. The mind is important, but through the Bible God issues a challenge to all of us that we would live more deeply than our minds can take us. Proverbs 10:31 says,

From the mouth of the righteous comes the fruit of wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be silenced.

The mouth is so important because whether we like it or not, it shows us what is in our hearts. Sure, we may be able to conceal our motives and intentions through careful language and persuasive talk, but our words still carry with them the deepest matters of our hearts. Jesus himself said, “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” 

“…But a perverse tongue will be silenced.” Why will a perverse tongue be silenced? We have to understand that this is different than someone who just occasionally makes an off color joke. This is in reference to someone who perpetually speaks in a perverse way. Such a person does not just have a perverse tongue, they have a perverse heart. Why will such a person eventually be silenced? Because eventually wickedness will be exposed for what it is and justice will be served.

People don’t generally like to ascribe the attribute of justice to God, but scripture is quite emphatic on the point that God is a just God. In the cross of Jesus Christ we see a combination of love and justice. Jesus died for our sins so that we would not have to pay the penalty. This is the greatest act of love that humanity has ever seen. That being said, there is also justice in the cross. The underlying point behind the cross is that someone had to die for our sins. It was either going to be us or Jesus. We get to decide whether or not we’ll receive his payment, but the fact remains that God is both loving and just. That is how we know that the “perverse tongue” or heart will be silenced.

We would do well to learn a lesson from this proverb to refocus on our hearts. How is your heart? Are you doing well? What steps can you begin taking to let God bring the healing that he wants to bring to your heart?