Proverbs 4:20-27

Proverbs 4:20-27 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. ²¹Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. ²²For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. ²³Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. ²⁴Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. ²⁵Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. ²⁶Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. ²⁷Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil (KJV).

Reflection

As you read this passage, you might be thinking, “What is a froward mouth?” The Contemporary English Version reads, “Never tell lies or be deceitful in what you say.” There may be more to this passage than avoiding deceit and lies. Adam Clarke notes that we beware of hasty, angry, and rash speeches. There are times when we are so intent on making a point that we ignore a few facts, or we twist the facts, or change the story to make it fit the point we are trying to make.

There are a few things we can show more integrity in our lives. We can avoid twisting stories to make ourselves look better and to avoid making other people look bad. In public, we can lobby governmental and community leaders with honesty and integrity. Justice is on our side, so we do not need to stretch the facts, to twist events to make them support our position. The truth can speak for itself.