Proverbs 10:20

The book of Proverbs gives us insights into so many different areas of life. The book gives us instruction on how to live our lives for God. Here is a proverb that gives us insight about the tongue: 

Proverbs 10:20 (ESV)

The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;

the heart of the wicked is of little worth.

This chapter is full of proverbs about the tongue, speech and mouth.   It doesn't take much reading in Proverbs to realize that the wise have something good about their mouth, lips and tongue: Their speech.  The foolish man has little value or worth in these items.     The book of James tells us a lot about the tongue.  Much of James' teaching has its foundation in Proverbs.  In the above two lines we see this contrast between the righteous and the wicked in regard to their speech.  The righteous, the wise person, has value in their tongue, their speech.  They have value, like choice silver.  However, the heart of the wicked, the source for the tongue, has no worth and, therefore the tongue can produce nothing.   Solomon is stating that the righteous has value in his/her heart and the tongue displays it.   However, the wicked has no value in his/her heart, so the tongue, therefore, has little value.   The heart is the well and the tongue is the bucket.   The bucket can only produce what is in the well.  Don't blame the tongue if it brings up bitter contents.   Don't praise the tongue if it simply carries the content of a heart made righteous by God.   What's in the well comes up in the bucket.