THE TONGUE
by Kathy Pegram

 

"I am in the midst of lions; I lie among ravenous beasts; men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords." (Psalm 57:4)

Have you ever felt like people who only want to gossip and criticize surrounded you? Destructive gossip causes problems, it always has and it always will. It goes hand in hand with slandering and false witnessing. Do you realize that even if you weren't the one to initiate a lie, that as soon as you pass that lie along to someone else, that you become guilty yourself of telling a lie and are responsible for that lie, as much so as the person who initially told it?

Our Bible tells us in Exodus 23:1, "Do not spread false reports. Do not help a wicked man by being a malicious witness." Proverbs 25:18 further says, "Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow is the man who gives false testimony against his neighbor."

The Tongue

"The boneless tongue, so small and weak,
Can crush and kill", declares the Greek.
"The tongue destroys a greater horde",
The Turk asserts, "than does the sword."
The Persian proverb wisely saith,
"A lengthy tongue - an early death!"
Or sometimes takes this form instead,
"Don't let your tongue cut off your head."
"The tongue can speak a word whose speed",
Say the Chinese, "outstrips the steed."
The Arab sages said in part,
"The tongues great storehouse is the heart."
From Hebrew was the maxim sprung,
"Thy feet should slip, but ne'er the tongue."
The sacred writer crowns the whole,
"Who keeps the tongue doth keep his soul."

 

The next time you are tempted to pass along a piece of gossip, imagine taking a knife and stabbing the person you are gossiping about repeatedly. It just may give you a shock to realize that words can be just as permanent and lasting in damage as stabbing someone can be. And with one final piece of wise advise, think before you speak. Because, in the end, the reputation you save, may be your own!

Love & Prayers,
Kathy