David begins the next portion of Psalm 141 with these words, “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” (verse 3) David felt that it was very important that only right words come out of his mouth. In another Psalm David said, “I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.” (Psalm 39:1)
Consider the ways that David mentioned to keep him from sinning with his tongue.
- Set a watch. A watch is a sentry or a guard. A guard used to keep a place in the daytime was referred to as a “ward.” Watches were set in the night. This night watchman kept guard against hidden or unexpected dangers. For the Jewish people, there were four watches in the night – three hours for each watch. The night began at 6:00 p.m. and ended at 6:00 a.m. All through the night there were guards for each watch. A guard cannot go to sleep on his watch. He must always be awake and alert to keep danger away. Even so, David knew it was very important to always be alert and to keep wrong or sinful words from coming out of his mouth. He also wanted to make sure only right words would come out of his mouth. He said, “Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.” (Psalm 71:8)
- Keep the door. David wanted God to keep the door of His mouth so that nothing would come out of it that should not come out. Psalm 34:13 describes the things that should not come out of the mouth. It says, “Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.” No evil or guile should come out of the mouth. Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” Also, Colossians 4:5,6 says, “5) Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. 6) Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” It is very important that only right words come out of our mouth. This is for our own protection and also so that we can be a testimony and light to those who do not know Christ. Right words should be spoken to both the saved and the lost.
- Bridle the tongue. Looking again at Psalm 39:1 we read, “I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.” James teaches that the tongue indicates what is in the heart. If we say we are Christians and love the Lord, but we do not keep our words in check, our religion is vain. “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.” (James 1:26)
God takes the words of our mouth very seriously. But He also knows that the tongue is an unruly evil and cannot be tamed. We cannot keep our own selves from speaking things we should not. That is why David asked God to set a guard before his mouth and to be a doorkeeper for his lips. Only a perfect person does not offend with the tongue. The only perfect person to live on this earth was Jesus Christ. How we need God’s help! How I need God’s help!
God is able to help us to make sure that right words come out of our mouths. He is the only one with that power. How do we think right things so that we can speak right things? Well, that is a matter of the heart. We need God to incline our hearts to His word and to fill our hearts with sweet meditations of Him. Today’s study took a look at the mouth. Lord willing, the next study will take a look at the heart because it is a right heart that causes the mouth to speak right things.