Two Fountains: The War of the Words Text: Proverbs 10:11
Introduction: The Unfailing Diagnostic
The book of Proverbs is not a collection of quaint, disconnected moralisms for self-improvement. It is a book about basic spiritual physics. It describes the machinery of the world as God actually made it. And at the center of this machinery is a great, unyielding antithesis, a fundamental divide that runs through all of human history. This is the divide between the righteous and the wicked, between the wise and the fool, between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world. There is no demilitarized zone. You are in one camp or the other.
Our modern sensibilities hate this kind of sharp distinction. We prefer shades of gray, moral ambiguity, and a general sense that everyone is "basically good." But the Scriptures will not have it. The Bible consistently presents us with two ways, two paths, two masters, two destinies. And Proverbs, in its earthy, practical wisdom, shows us how this great antithesis works itself out in the nitty-gritty of everyday life, in our work, our families, our finances, and most especially, in our words.
Jesus tells us that a tree is known by its fruit. He also tells us that "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matt. 12:34). Your speech is the most reliable diagnostic tool for the state of your soul. Your words are a constant, flowing printout of your heart condition. You can try to fake it for a while, you can put on a pious face and use religious jargon, but eventually, what is down in the well will come up in the bucket. This proverb, then, is not giving us a tip on how to be a better conversationalist. It is revealing the fundamental nature of two kinds of humanity, distinguished by the source and substance of their words.
The world is not divided between those who use good words and those who use bad words. It is divided between those whose words are a fountain of life, and those whose words are a shroud for violence. One gives life; the other deals in death. And the difference is not a matter of etiquette, but of ontology. It is a matter of what you are.
The Text
The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
But the mouth of the wicked covers up violence.
(Proverbs 10:11 LSB)
A Wellspring of Life (v. 11a)
The first half of the verse presents us with a glorious image:
"The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life..." (Proverbs 10:11a)
First, we must define our terms as God defines them. Who are "the righteous"? In the biblical economy, the righteous are not those who have, through strenuous moral effort, pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps to a state of sinless perfection. That is the definition of a Pharisee, not a saint. Biblically, righteousness is a covenantal term. It means to be in right standing with God. In the Old Testament, this came through faith in the promises of God, and in the New, it comes through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. The righteous man is the one who has been declared righteous by God on the basis of another's merit. He is righteous by imputation. His righteousness is a gift.
So, we are talking about the Christian. We are talking about the man or woman who has been justified by faith. And the mouth of such a person, Solomon says, is a "fountain of life." Think about that image. A fountain is not a stagnant pool. It is active, bubbling, overflowing. It is a source. It doesn't just contain water; it produces it. And what it produces is life. In a dry and thirsty land, a fountain is a place of refreshment, cleansing, healing, and sustenance. It is where things grow.
This is what the speech of a justified sinner becomes. Because the Spirit of God has taken up residence in his heart, his words begin to take on the character of their source. His speech begins to build up, not tear down (Eph. 4:29). His words bring clarity, not confusion. They offer encouragement to the fainthearted, wisdom to the simple, and comfort to the afflicted. The speech of the righteous is generative. It is verbal fruitfulness. It is theological sunshine. When a righteous man speaks the truth in love, he is participating in God's creative and redemptive work. He is channeling the ultimate Word, the Logos, through whom all things were made. His words are not his own; they are an overflow of the life that has been graciously poured into him.
This is why what we say matters so immensely. Our words are not just vibrations in the air. They are spiritual realities that have the power to bring life or death. The righteous man understands he is a steward of this fountain, and he seeks to direct its flow for the glory of God and the good of his neighbor.
A Cloak for Violence (v. 11b)
The contrast, as is common in Proverbs, is stark and absolute.
"...But the mouth of the wicked covers up violence." (Proverbs 10:11b LSB)
Who are the wicked? They are the ones who are not righteous. They are those who stand in their natural state of rebellion against God. They are their own law, their own god, their own authority. And the nature of their speech is fundamentally different. Their mouth "covers up violence."
The word for violence here is hamas. It refers to more than just physical brutality. It is cruelty, injustice, and destructive wrongdoing. The key insight here is that the mouth of the wicked covers it. This means the violence is not always obvious. The wicked man is not always the one shouting obscenities or making overt threats. Very often, the most destructive violence is wrapped in the most sophisticated and plausible language.
Think of the serpent in the Garden. His words were smooth, inquisitive, reasonable-sounding. "Did God really say...?" But underneath that silken speech was cosmic violence. He was assaulting the character of God, undermining the created order, and leading our first parents to their ruin. His mouth covered his violence.
This is the nature of all unregenerate speech. The flattering tongue that leads a man into adultery covers violence. The gossip that destroys a reputation covers violence. The politician's promise that offers security in exchange for liberty covers violence. The academic jargon that deconstructs truth, goodness, and beauty covers violence. The therapeutic platitudes that excuse sin and call it sickness cover violence. The mouth of the wicked is a master of disguise. It is a whited tomb, beautiful on the outside, but inside full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.
The words of the wicked are fundamentally anti-creative. They take God's good world and His clear speech and they introduce chaos, confusion, and death. Their words are a shroud, a covering for the death that is already festering in their hearts. Where the righteous man's words bring life and growth, the wicked man's words bring corruption and decay.
Conclusion: The Fountain and the Drain
So we are left with two mouths, two sources, two results. One is a fountain, bringing forth life. The other is a drain, covering over death and violence. You have one or the other. Your words are either building the kingdom of God or they are contributing to the rubble of the kingdom of man.
The natural state of every man born of Adam is to have a mouth that covers violence. Our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked, and our tongues are set on fire by hell (Jer. 17:9, James 3:6). We are born with a poisoned well. No amount of religious observance or positive thinking can fix it. You cannot dredge a poisoned well and make it clean. The source itself must be changed.
And this is precisely what the gospel accomplishes. The gospel is the announcement that God, in His mercy, does not just give us speaking lessons. He gives us a heart transplant. He takes out the heart of stone and gives us a heart of flesh (Ezek. 36:26). He unblocks the poisoned spring and causes a new fountain to gush forth, a fountain of living water.
This is accomplished through the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the truly Righteous One. He is the one whose mouth was the perfect fountain of life. His words healed the sick, cast out demons, and raised the dead. His words were pure, unadulterated life. And on the cross, He took upon Himself all the violence that our mouths have ever covered. He absorbed the full penalty for every lie, every slander, every bitter word, every blasphemy. He took the violence so that we could receive the life.
When you, by faith, are united to Christ, you are declared righteous. But more than that, His Spirit comes to dwell in you, and He begins the lifelong work of sanctification. And a central part of that work is the transformation of your speech. He is turning your mouth from a drain into a fountain.
Therefore, Christian, consider your words. Are they consistent with your righteous standing in Christ? Are you speaking words of life into your home, your church, and your community? Or are you reverting to the old patterns, covering up the subtle violence of pride, envy, and bitterness? Repent of every word that deals in death, and ask God to make your mouth what He has declared it to be: a fountain of life, for the refreshment of the saints and to the glory of His great name.