Words

Sunday Sermons

Mark Dunagan
07/03/05 - Sunday Morning

Words

It just seems like we live in a time where people are far more careless with their choice of words. Maybe this is a natural consequence of what happens when a society abandons a conviction concerning absolute right and wrong, which then trickles down to no absolutes in the realm of language as well. No longer does the best evidence or argument win the day, but rather the loudest and sharpest tongue. It could be the result of an increased callousness and rudeness in the culture, and it could equally be attributed to a false sense of freedom, in which license is mistaken for liberty, and where people believe they have a right to say anything that enters their mind. Yet, as we read the Bible we find that mankind has always had a problem controlling their tongue. “As many as three out of the seven abominations listed in Proverbs 6:16-19 are examples of the misuse of words: such is their importance in Proverbs” (Proverbs, Derek Kidner p. 46).

The Power of Words

Words are so powerful that the Bible actually says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21). James will add, “The tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell” (James 3:6). “Because of the incalculable harm which it produces; it is utterly impossible to measure, in this life, the harm which grows out of the slander, the profanity, the falsehood, the blasphemy and the scandal of which it is capable” (Woods p. 164). “The world of iniquity” is very expressive. Just as we say, ‘There is a world of wisdom in that statement’. It voices every evil feeling and every kind of sinful thought; it sets in motion and gives concreteness to every kind of sinful act” (Roberts p. 129). “With the tongue we can profane, blaspheme, and curse God. With the tongue we can steal, for we can take from our neighbor reputation and honor. With the tongue we can inflict great injury and suffering on those about us. With our tongue we can reveal infinite passion and lust” (Draper pp. 102-103). “It curses, rails, teaches false doctrine and speaks evil of God and man, it entices, commands, terrifies and persuades to commit murder, adulteries, and every evil work” (Macknight p. 376).

Their Penetration

“What is done to you is of little account beside what is done in you, and the latter may be for good or ill. The feelings, or morale, may be lacerated by a cruel or clumsy thrust (‘like the piercings of a sword’, Proverbs 12:18); equally, they may be vitalized by a timely word (12:18, 25), and the whole body with them (16:24). One’s attitude to another person may be deeply affected by a mere whisper, unforgettable as soon as relished (18:8), and one’s self-esteem ruinously inflated by flattery (which entangles its victim, 29:5, by the craving it induces and by the ill-judged actions it invites). Above all, beliefs and convictions are formed by words, and these either destroy a man or are the making of him (11:9; 10:21)” (Kidner p. 46).

Proverbs 18:8

“The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, and they go down into the innermost parts of the body”

Gossip is called a “dainty morsel” because such words are unforgettable as soon as relished. “Like food being digested, gossiped news is assimilated in one’s inmost parts, that is retained and remembered” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 944). Listening to gossip is also very addictive. Such bits of juicy information stimulate the unhealthy desire for more. This proverb expresses a very important truth. Gossip is so dangerous, because long after the gossip is revealed as untrue, often people refuse to believe the truthful account, and a simple apology or retraction cannot undo the effects of gossip. No matter how hard we try, gossip does taint and color our perspective of someone, even a best friend, “And a slanderer separates intimate friends” (Proverbs 16:28); “But he who repeats a matter separates intimate friends” (17:9). One misconception that we need to overcome is the sitcom version of how relationships work. On television, best friends are seen to argue and then make up at the end of the show, with each telling the other how much they love one another. All of this happens in about 30 minutes. Yet that is not reality. The people on television are reading from a script, that has been written in advance and in which one is not allowed to deviate. In real life, people do not have a script. We cannot naively think that words will never separate best friends, these Proverbs actually say otherwise, the whisperer does succeed and friendship is not always able to save the day.

Practical Applications

· When you hear gossip about someone, how would you feel if you were the object of the gossip. Remember, someone who shares gossip with you about someone else is probably also gossiping about you to others.

· We are told not even to associate with someone given to gossiping (Proverbs 20:19), probably because they will involve you somehow in their sin.

· Gossip is also very lazy. It never fixes anything; it has no concern about restoring and mending relationships or in seeking to correct the sinner. Instead, the gossip simply dumps everything into our lap.

· The gossip avoids personal responsibility and wants others to do the hard work (Matthew 18:15).

· Gossip needs an audience to survive and we need to remove the audience (us).

· The first version of any event at first sounds reasonable or true. “The first to plead his case seems right, until another comes and examines him” (Proverbs 18:17).

· There is something wrong in our hearts if we enjoy listening to spicy bits of information about others. Genuine love does not delight in sin or in hearing about others failings or short-comings (1 Corinthians 13:6).

· The gossip will get you into trouble, for the gossip often seeks to remain anonymous while everyone else is mad at each other. See 2 Samuel 13:5,32. Jonadab gave the evil plan, and Tamar ended up violated and a widow, Ammon ended up murdered, David almost lost the kingdom and his life, and Absalom ended up dead, but Jonadab, the evil worker under the radar, escaped.

· It is not merely an ancient problem (2 Thessalonians 3:11; 1 Timothy 5:13; 1 Peter 4:15).

· In addition, we live in a gossiping culture, where what is called “news” and “investigative reporting” is often nothing more than gossip. Many of the magazines that confront one at the grocery store check out line are the “dainty morsels” of whispers as well.

Their Influence and Spreading Nature

“A worthless man digs up evil, while his words are like scorching fire” (Proverbs 16:27). Literally, “digs for calamity”, which suggests the effort he puts forth to dig a pit to trap others. “Since words implant ideas in other minds, their effects ramify---again, for good or evil” (Kidner p. 47).

The Weakness of Words

· They are no substitute for deeds: “But mere talk leads only to poverty” (Proverbs 14:23; Matthew 7:21).

· They cannot alter the facts: Proverbs 24:12 “If you say, ‘See, we did not know this’, does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul?”; 28:24; 26:23-26. Solomon compares hypocritical speech to the glazing over of an earthen pot. “Glaze covering a vessel makes it look dazzling and certainly different from the clay that it actually is” (Gaebelein p. 1092). The expression “burning lips”, may refer to fervent speech. On the surface he says things that may be pleasing and extremely zealous, but they merely cover his true nature as one plotting evil. Evil people often are very persuasive and express themselves fervently, but passionate speech is at times used as a mask for evil. The other idea could be that lips that seem to burn with affection---may mask a heart filled with envy and hatred. “A malicious person plans deceit, but seeks to disguise it by his smooth talk” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 963). Compare with Romans 16:18.

· “They cannot compel response: ‘By mere words a servant is not disciplined, for though he understands, he will not give heed’ (29:19); hence the appeals to the listener to make his own search for wisdom as for something which the teacher cannot impart to the apathetic (17:10). The other side of the matter is that evil words are subject to the same handicap. The spiciest gossip has power over the listener only in so far as he is himself ‘an evildoer’ and a walking ‘falsehood’, in which the taste for carrion can overpower the love of truth. ‘An evil-doer giveth heed to wicked lips; and a liar giveth ear to a mischievous tongue’ (17:4)” (Kidner p. 47). What this means is that the gospel is the power of salvation only for the person who is willing to listen, willing to learn, examine the evidence, and is open to believing (Romans 1:16). Even the best presentation of God’s truth and even the most convicting evidence is not going to persuade the person who does not want to be persuaded (Revelation 2:21).

Words at their best

· They are honest: “Righteous lips are the delight of kings” (16:13)—one of the good things which the great can neither buy nor afford to be without. Compare with 24:24-26 where a ‘right’ answer (26) is literally a ‘straight’ or ‘straightforward’ one”(Kidner p. 48).

· They are few: Compare with 17:28. “In one’s own interest, the less said, the less ammunition there is for ill-wishers (10:14; 13:3); and in relation to God, when words run away with a man they run him into folly and arrogance (10:19)” (Kidner p. 48).

· They will be calm: “He who restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding” (Proverbs 17:27). Such calmness allows time for a fair hearing (18:13,17); it also allows temper to cool (15:1); and a few words can often have a greater impact than many words (25:15).

· They are apt: “A truth that makes no impression as a generalization may be indelibly fixed in the mind when it is matched to its occasion and shaped to its task (Proverbs 15:23; 25:11)” (Kidner p. 48). The shaping of such apt words requires forethought and study (15:28), and a godly character. The book of Proverbs stresses the truth that what a man says wells up from what he is—it will be worth what he is worth (14:5; 12:17; 4:23). “It is only a step from here to our Lord’s, ‘Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh’ (Matthew 12:34)” (Kidner p. 49).

Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017