Guard Your Mouth (Proverbs 13:3)
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Proverbs 13:3
Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life;
he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
Theologian Adam Clarke once said,
“It has often been remarked that God has given us two EYES, that we may SEE much; two EARS, that we may HEAR much; but has given us but ONE tongue, and that fenced in with teeth, to indicate that though we hear and see much, we should speak but little.”
I like that framing. It’s simple, visual, and it drives home the importance of being careful with our words. It also echoes James’ words that we should “be quick to listen, slow to speak.”
This ties directly into Proverbs 13:3, which gives us yet another warning and encouragement about the power of our words, saying,
“Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.”
This shouldn’t come as a surprise. After looking at Proverbs 18:20 and 21 the past two days, we’ve seen how powerful our words can be – powerful enough to feed others or bring destruction. That’s why Proverbs 13:3 urges us to guard our mouths carefully.
At this point, we know the strength that exists in our mouths, and that’s exactly why they must be strongly guarded. Of course, we must still open our mouths to speak. But to “open them wide,” as this verse says, is to let it all out – to speak without a filter, without pondering, without prayer. It’s the kind of speech that can harm relationships, sow division, or damage someone’s trust in you. That kind of unguarded speech leads to ruin. It’s dangerous.
This verse is the essence of “think before you speak.”
We’ve all heard that before. But even so, how often do we actually pause, pray, and reflect before speaking? Do we really take time to guard our mouths intentionally?
Let’s be honest – most of us don’t. And that leads me to wonder: Do we truly understand the power of the tongue? Do we realize the danger it poses?
David did. In Psalm 141:3, he prayed:
“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
keep watch over the door of my lips!”
Have you ever prayed a prayer like that? I think that prayer of David’s is the result of knowing the true power and danger of the tongue. David knew the danger of the tongue, and he also knew the only one who could tame and guard it – the LORD.
As we’ll see tomorrow, the main thing to guard in the inner man is the heart. But in the outer man, it’s the tongue. We need to guard our mouths, for those who open them wide will come to ruin.
So here’s my question for you today:
Do you guard your mouth?
What would it look like if you did?
How might your conversations change if you brought your words before the Lord in prayer before speaking?
As you go through your day, I want to challenge you to pause before you speak.
Pray Psalm 141:3 and ask God to help you speak life. What difference might that make in your conversations today?
Let’s ask the Lord to help us in this together – to set a guard over our mouths. Pray with me.
