Proverbs 10:31 (ESV)
The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
A repeated theme in Proverbs is the thought in the above proverb: What is in the heart is heard and reveled by the work of the tongue. Several times Solomon points out this truth. He often points out the truth and associate speech with a tree: Proverbs 12:14; 13:2; 18:20. Jesus, also, makes the same connection. He is so adamant about the way we speak and the relationship with the tongue that He ties our speech to our final judgement.
Matthew 12:36-37 (NASBStr)
But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Righteous people are like full fruit trees when they speak. Others should want to hear what they say and even pluck the fruit off their tree. Even though they hated Jesus, the Pharisees and religious leaders showed up each day to hear Him speak. If you find that others are ignoring you and avoiding you when you speak, you CAN chalk it up to their "ungodly" thought process. But, according to Solomon people will want to hear wha the righteous say. Remember, the Queen of Sheba and others not only traveled a long way to hear Solomon's wisdom, but paid him for it. So, if you find that those in your circle don't want to hear what you have to say it just might be your heart/thoughts. Just because they hear you doesn't mean they repent and follow the wisdom you offer. However, that is not the point. The righteous are like a tree. The perverted are like a dead tree ... left only to be uprooted and cut out. Folly is not a real positive dialogue in the long run. Solomon wants us to realize that not only does the tongue reveal the heart but it is also an attraction for others. In a garden a dead fruit tree is cut down. If we can tell them by their fruit than we can hear their heart by their words.
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