Life and death
“Life and death are in the power of the tongue…What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days that he may see good? Keep the tongue from evil and thy lips from speaking guile…Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh…by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Prov. 18:21; Psa. 34:12,13; Matt. 12:34,37).
We have great power, for good and for bad, in our ability to speak. The turn of a phrase can send men to war or bring them to the table of reconciliation. A well thought-out word can comfort the sorrowful, encourage the downtrodden, bring warmth to the heart or a smile to the face of the overburdened. With our voice, we may offer praise and honor to God.
Our words may also deeply wound, discourage the struggler, destroy a relationship, mislead the unsure and undermine the credibility of others. With our mouths, we can also commit deliberate acts of sin: lying, deceit, gossip, tale-bearing, false witness, blasphemy, filthy talking. Life and death are in the power of the tongue.
Speech
Speech is the co-ordinated result of several physiological functions; it is the spoken expression of our heart and mind in order to communicate our thoughts. The sound of our voice conveys the emotional state we are in and the message we are bringing. Considering the potential effects of our words, caution is necessary.
Like cutting down a tree, many factors must be considered. What will be the consequences of our words? What are we trying to convey? Will we cause harm? Will our words be helpful and constructive? Even in our daily casual conversation, we should place a guard before our lips lest we sin against God or hurt another. How often we accidentally hurt another by ill-chosen words and careless speech.
The Psalms
Many of the Psalms contain references to the mouth, the tongue, speech, words, lying, deceit, slander and praise.
Psalm 12
The enemies of David disregarded God and man through the words of their mouths. By devious selection of words, they flattered their way into David’s confidence and the confidence of others. They were consummate politicians. They spoke many words, but their conversation was “vanity” — empty of any sincere meaning. They were guilty of being two-faced, a condition described in the Hebrew of the Psalm as having “a heart and a heart.”
They had confidence in their ability to talk their way out of any difficulty: “with our tongues will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?” But to their dismay, they ignored the fact that God “shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things.”
In contrast to the insincere, hurtful words of the children of men are the words of the Lord which are “pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”
Psalm 35
In this Psalm, penned by David as he fled from the murderous Saul, the evil of deceit is emphasized. “They speak not peace: but they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land” (v.20). David sought peace but Saul and his confederates stirred up strife by deceitful charges. Sometimes ecclesial life resembles this scenario. There are those who destroy peace by half-truths. They open their mouths wide against another (v.21).
David pleads that when such is the case, God will not keep silence but will aid the upright.
Psalm 50
In the description of the wicked, prominence is given to the iniquity of his words. While we may be more shocked that he consorted with thieves and practiced adultery (v.18), the Spirit devotes two verses to his treacherous words against his brethren. “Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit. Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slenderest thine own mother’s son” (vs. 19-20).
Most of us can readily recall instances of slander and deceit in ecclesial life. We need to be warned that such conduct characterizes the one who hates divine instruction and casts God’s words away (v.17).
Psalm 52
Here is presented a striking contrast between the potential of the tongue. It can be used to glorify God in exalted praise (v.9) or it can bring about the death of His servants by treacherous words. “Thy tongue deviseth mischief’s; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.. .Thou lovest all devouring words, 0 thou deceitful tongue” (vs. 2-4).
Doeg brought about the death of the priests of Nob by presenting an incomplete and distorted report of their relationship with David. If he had included David’s story that secured the priest’s help… but his was a devouring tongue that brought about hatred and death.
Psalm 101
Within his own administration, David was determined not to have the tongue of the wicked. “Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will cut off…He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight” (vs. 5-7). From first-hand experience, he knew the danger of wayward words.
Resolve
May we resolve to keep our own lips from lying and our tongues from deceit; may we not slander others or use our words as weapons against our brother. Let us not boast in ourselves or falsely flatter our neighbor. Rather, let us determine that “My lips shall utter praise…my tongue shall speak of thy word.”
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One