Proverbs 10:19 Commentary and Bible Study

The tongue is a restless member of the body and resents control so that it almost seems to operate as an autonomous organ within us which is not accountable to us. Of course when the believer thinks of his tongue in this way, he knows that what really drives it is the old nature which strives to express itself. The tongue is, as James teaches, an organ which is hard to control and therefore needs special attention, because it is influential on the whole course of life and can dictate the direction of our life instead of being kept under control. Wisdom does not therefore give free reign to the tongue but tames it as a wild animal is tamed, and brings it under control of the new man. Every word must be thought about before it is uttered, and tested to see whether it is true, honest, just, kind, edifying, honouring to God. What must be put to death are words that are cruel, exaggerated, self-seeking, hostile, divisive, cowardly, or unclean. The wise restrain their lips because they are aware of the struggle within them between the old nature and the new nature and the desire of each to take full control of the tongue. This is not the totality of wisdom, but it is part of it. He restrains his lips, because he has nothing to say and will not speak for the sake of it, or because he knows those present will not listen and he will not waste precious truth, or because his hearer has learnt enough for the present lesson, but above all because he knows his heart is prone to utter vain words if not restrained.