My dear readers,

The Heart and Mouth are One!

Proverbs 15:14: “The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.”

The heart of man is never known by another. But the mouth is often “known” by many. Proverbs 15:14 warns us to take care of the heart and the mouth as the latter will reveal the former. This is very true as we see the wisdom of the Lord Jesus Christ when He said the following (emphasis added):

• Matthew 12:34: “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”

• Matthew 15:7-11: “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.”
• Matthew 15:16-20: “And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.”

Jesus taught repeatedly that all believers are cleansed from their sins. Their hearts are no longer hardened by sin because they are given hearts of flesh when their sins are forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ. This divine cleansing process is the invisible work of the Holy Spirit of God which is known only to the believer who experiences it. He knows it because his heart, mind and life have been transformed by the power of God through it. But people around him cannot see the heart. They need to see this transformed life in the child of God who is Christ’s witness on earth. His newness of life can actually be seen or rather heard through his mouth’s output!

A New Heart Has Understanding – The heart of a Christian is a heart that has been washed by the blood of Christ and where the love of God has been shed abroad, i.e. poured forth by the Holy Spirit at the time of his salvation. This heart filled with the love of God is also called a heart with understanding. The understanding is with reference to the Word of God and not the word of man. Before salvation, his heart was “made of stone” and had no ability to understand God’s truth. His heart will be transformed by God to understand His truth only after salvation. This understanding propels him forward to live a life of holiness and godliness that is according to Scriptures. Therefore, as Proverbs 15:14 says, the child of God will continue to seek knowledge. The word “seeketh” means “to strive after” or “to make inquisition.” He is like a treasure hunter who spares no effort in his pursuit of what he knows will be treasures at the end of his hunt. All the sacrifices will be worth it because of the “gold” at the end of the pursuit. The child of God who has tasted the transforming power of God's Holy Word will never stop searching and digging for the nuggets of truth.

This reveals the heart of understanding that he has. His love for God's Truth is insatiable. Daily he longs for it. He studies and strives his utmost to understand it correctly so that he can live right before God and man. He believes and practises every jot and tittle of the knowledge that he understands. He ignores all inconveniences and considers them as insignificant as he seeks out God's truth. The knowledge of God to him is beyond any price and he will not allow anything or anyone to prevent him from seeking this understanding. Bible studies, church fellowship meetings, and night classes at FEBC are a joy to him. Others may find it a struggle or a bore but he finds it a great delight. The highlight of his day and week is always to spend time searching the Holy Scriptures. When he understands a passage of the Bible better, the thrill in his soul far exceeds any thrill from understanding anything the world has to offer. This is the heart of a child of God with understanding! His understanding grows from strength to strength in the knowledge of God, his heavenly Father.

An Old Heart Has a Foolish Mouth – In contrast, the heart of the old man is revealed by his foolish mouth. One way of determining a foolish mouth is when foolishness comes out of it. Foolish words are words that are carnal. They focus on the things of the world that perish, eg: a pastor whose first and last words are about property or stocks and shares. He speaks to members of his congregation about how to buy the right kind of shares or properties so as to improve one’s earthly lifestyle. He is a pastor but his foolish mouth reveals his carnal heart. What happens if he keeps quiet and does not say much? Proverbs 15:14 teaches that one can determine a foolish mouth by what it feeds on. The word “feedeth” means “to graze” or “to pasture.” This is a word that is used to describe a flock of sheep grazing. The foolish mouth will spend much time on carnal things, like the pastor who knows a lot about property prices or the best long and short term shares to buy to maximize gain.

The deliberate use of two different verbs with two contrasting actions to highlight the difference is clear to see. The verb “seeketh” versus the verb “feedeth” is to contrast the behaviour of the two hearts. The former will not stop to find and understand God's truth until he succeeds. The latter will linger and soak in carnality as his mouth will reveal. The world will not regard the man who speaks carnal things as foolish but wise. But God calls it foolishness when the words are spoken by one who calls himself a Christian. He is exposed to the truth and claims to know and to have embraced the truth. But he seeks after carnal things that Scriptures reveal to be temporal and will be destroyed by fire. He is foolish because his mouth is foolish. He is like a man standing next to true nuggets of gold that do not perish and yet runs after the fool’s gold that will surely perish.

Conclusion – The kind of heart we have is revealed by the words we speak.