Ecclesiastes
The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious, But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up; The words of his mouth begin with foolishness, And the end of his talk is raving madness. A fool also multiplies words. No man knows what is to be; Who can tell him what will be after him? Ecclesiastes 10:12-14
Literally, this reads: “The words of the mouth of the wise grace.” When the Bible says, “grace” (or “gracious”), it is directly tied to Jesus Christ and His work of redemption. “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).
The lips of the fool, however, swallow him up. His words are self-destructive and of no help to others. Such is the truth about anyone who proclaims salvation by works. In the end, he consumes himself.
Likewise, every false teacher is a fool. He fools himself into believing the leaven of his errors. Left unchecked, his lips become the mouth of hell, which will swallow him and his followers.
The wise man speaks words of grace. True, he does speak kindly to his neighbors. More importantly, however, he proclaims the grace of God. His words give the ultimate help to others in strengthening the believer and converting the unbeliever.
Thank You, Lord, for surrounding us with wise men who bring us Your life-giving words of grace. Amen