As difficult as it may be to imagine, it won’t be long before our evenings are filled with the songs of crickets. The cricket’s chirp comes when a male rubs his wings together at just the right angle. He’ll do this to attract females, ward off competitors, and even warn others of danger. Crickets can be loud… really loud. Their mating call can reach 100 decibels – that’s close to rock concert levels! But here’s the truly amazing thing – crickets can’t hear themselves. Scientists have discovered that as soon as his wings move into position for a crooning song, a chemical shuts down the nerves that detect sounds that he creates himself. He can detect other sounds, but his own chirp never registers as sound in his own brain.

It’s almost as if the writer of Ecclesiastes had the deafening ignorance of a cricket in mind when he wrote the following:

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words.

Ecclesiastes 5:1-3, ESV

Be not rash with your mouth… if only I had always followed that advice! Too often I look back in regret when I realize that my words blasted like a cricket and I didn’t have ears to hear it. The passage above envisions someone coming to the temple with all of the important things they want to say. Their requests, laments, oaths, and even praises become the priority. The writer is reminding temple visitors that they are nearing God’s presence. It is the fool who steps into God’s presence and begins to tell Him what He already understands fully (Matthew 6:6-8).

The principle is also true in our interactions with others. If you’ve ever had a cricket trapped in your house, you know how frustrating that chirp can become. The high decibels can wake you like an alarm clock. We can become the same kind of annoying presence among others and never know better. Ask yourself: do I tend to listen to others or do I tend to fill the air with words that circle back to myself? Do I walk away from conversations knowing more about my friends and their lives or does my chirping drown them out?

We’re given sage, spiritual advice when it comes to our tongues: make the effort to get it under control. We don’t have the excuse of the pitchy cricket – we can hear ourselves, judge our own words, and make changes accordingly. In Proverbs we hear:

Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.

Proverbs 17:27, ESV

Let’s work on the restrained, cool spirit that seeks understanding. If we are more valuable in God’s eyes than birds (Luke 12:24), we are certainly more capable than crickets!