KIDS CURRICULUM

THE LIPS

The lips (Heb. saphah — also: shore/border/edge; Gk. cheilos) are a distinct biblical category — the gate between the inner life of the heart and the outer world of speech and consequence. Scripture treats the lips, tongue, and mouth as separate themes. 

 The lips  are one of Scripture's most distinct and overlooked themes. Unlike the tongue, which speaks to the power and content of speech, or the mouth, which speaks to its source and authority, the lips are the boundary: the gate where the inner life of the heart meets the outer world of word and consequence. From Moses confessing his uncircumcised lips in Exodus 6 to Isaiah crying out as a man of unclean lips in Isaiah 6, from the fool whose lips walk into a fight in Proverbs 18 to the righteous whose lips feed many in Proverbs 10, Scripture builds a consistent and sobering portrait. The lips reveal what the heart truly contains — not what we intend to say, but what we have been storing. They carry seven God-ordained functions: praise, prayer, the spreading of wisdom, the nourishing of others, the making of vows, the honouring of God, and the expression of holy awe. They produce fruit — either the peace and healing of Isaiah 57:19, or the ruin and self-entrapment of Proverbs 13:3. And they can be transformed — not by discipline alone, but by the same divine fire that touched Isaiah's lips from the altar. The invitation of Psalm 51:15 remains open to every believer: O LORD, open my lips, and my lips will declare your praise 

 This summary focuses exclusively on the lips.

🌊     SYMBOLISM OF THE LIPS

◆ Shore/Border — lips as the edge between inner life and the   world Gen 11:1 (saphah); Exod 28:32

◆ Gate — guard what you permit out Prov 4:23-24

◆ Fruit — every word is a seed with a harvest Isa 57:19; Heb 13:15

◆ Fire and Altar — purified lips for holy service Isa 6:5-7

◆ Royal instrument — righteous lips delight kings Prov 16:13

◆ Votive offering (calves of the lips) Hos 14:2

◆ Covered lips — ancient sign of grief/awe/submission Lev 13:45; Mic 3:7

◆ Uncircumcised lips — spiritually unready speech Exod 6:12, 30

❤     HEART–LIPS CONNECTION

◆ Lips reveal the true state of the heart Isa 29:13; Jer 12:2

◆ Fervent lips can mask an evil heart Prov 26:23-24

◆ Flattering lips spring from a double heart Ps 12:2-3

◆ Pure heart adds persuasiveness to the lips Prov 16:23; 22:11

◆ Prayer from lips free of deceit reaches God Ps 17:1

◆ Keep the heart — the lips will follow Prov 4:23-24

◆ Only God can open and cleanse the lips Ps 51:15; Isa 6:6-7

✦     FUNCTIONS OF THE LIPS

1 Praise God — the primary purpose Ps 63:3; 71:23; 119:171; Heb 13:15

2 Pray — the organ of petition Ps 17:1; 141:3; 1 Sam 1:13; Hos 14:2

3 Spread knowledge and wisdom Prov 15:7; 16:23; Job 27:4

4 Nourish others — the lips feed many Prov 10:21; 16:24; 13:2

5 Make and keep vows/covenants Num 30:2,12; Deut 23:23; Ps 89:34

6 Declare and honour God Ps 71:15;   119:171-172; Isa 29:13

7 Express awe and fear before God Hab 3:16; Lev 13:45; Job 2:10

🌿     FRUIT OF THE LIPS

GOOD   FRUIT — Righteous Lips

✔ Peace and healing for the community Isa 57:19

✔ The speaker enjoys good things Prov 13:2

✔ Many are nourished and fed Prov 10:21

✔ Sweetness and health to the body Prov 16:24

✔ Delight and favour from rulers Prov 16:13; 22:11

✔ Truthful lips endure forever Prov 12:19

✔ Preserves the speaker's life Prov 13:3 (by guarding)

BAD   FRUIT — Wicked Lips

✘ Speaker comes to ruin Prov 13:3

✘ Ensnared by own transgressions Prov 12:13

✘ Lips become a snare to the soul Prov 18:6-7

✘ Lying lips are an abomination to God Prov 12:22; Ps 31:18

✘ Flattering lips cut off by God Ps 12:3

📖     HABITS — GOOD FRUIT

1 Saturate the heart with Scripture Ps 119:171; Prov 16:23

2 Pray over your lips daily Ps 141:3; 17:1;   51:15

3 Practise restraint — fewer words Prov 10:19; 17:27-28

4 Keep lips from deceit and guile Prov 12:22; 1 Pet 3:10

5 Speak what is fitting and acceptable Prov 10:32; 16:24

6 Offer continual praise from the lips Ps 71:15; 63:3; Heb 13:15

7 Honour the vows of your lips Deut 23:23; Num 30:2; Ps 89:34

⚠     HABITS — BAD FRUIT

1 Flattering lips — the double heart Ps 12:2-3; Prov 7:21; 29:5

2 Lying lips — abomination to the LORD Prov 12:22; 10:18; Ps 31:18

3 Rash lips — speaking without restraint Lev 5:4; Ps 106:33; Prov 13:3

4 Perverse lips — crooked, deviant speech Prov 4:24; 19:1

5 Fool's lips — a snare to the soul Prov 18:6-7; 12:13

6 Seductive lips — leading others astray Prov 7:21

7 Concealing lips — hiding hatred Prov 10:18; 26:24

"Put away from you   crooked speech, and put devious lips far from you."

— Proverbs 4:24 | O   LORD, open my lips, and my lips will declare your praise. — Psalm 51:15