God’s book of wisdom in the Old Testament (the book of Proverbs) has so much to say about how God’s people must learn to control their “lips,” “mouth” and “tongue.” Consider this wisdom.
First of all, “a wise man will hear and increase learning” (1:5) and he “will receive commands” (10:8), because “the ear of the wise seeks knowledge” (18:15). Before a wise person ever speaks, he “acquires knowledge” (18:15).
Having sought and acquired knowledge, “wise people store [it] up” (10:14). With that wisdom, “the heart of the righteous studies how to answer” (15:28) and “teaches his mouth” (16:23).
Only then will the wise speak, and when they do, “wisdom is found on [their] lips” (10:13). “The mouth of the righteous is a well of life” (10:11), for it “uses knowledge rightly” (15:2), “brings forth wisdom” (10:31) and “promotes health” (12:18). Their lips “know what is acceptable” (10:32) and they “feed many” (10:21). Do you teach your mouth before it speaks?