Put this in the category of info you probably didn’t know: The expression “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” originated in Japan and is associated with the Three Wise Monkeys at a Shinto shrine built in the early 1600s. The monkeys are named: Mizaru – covers his eyes (“See no evil.”) Kikazaru – covers his ears (“Hear no evil.”) Iwazaru – covers his mouth (“Speak no evil.”). The original idea was not to ignore evil but to cultivate moral purity by refusing to let evil dominate one’s life. I believe the Bible’s version is actually richer.
Scripture doesn’t tell us merely to avoid evil. It teaches us to guard the gateways to our hearts. Guard your eyes. Psalm 101:3: “I will set before my eyes no vile thing.”
Jesus said, “The eye is the lamp of the body.” Matthew 6:22–23. The things that capture our attention eventually shape our character.
Guard your ears. Proverbs 19:27: “Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.” What we hear influences what we believe.
Every person is being discipled by someone’s voice.
Guard your mouth. Of the three, this is probably the strongest biblical emphasis.
James 3 compares the tongue to a bit in a horse’s mouth, a rudder on a ship, and a spark that burns a forest. Tiny words create enormous consequences.
Three things to think about today:
My Eyes – What am I watching that’s shaping my heart?
My Ears – Whose voices have the greatest influence on me?
My Mouth – Do my words leave people stronger or weaker?