11/29/2029
Gossip... have you ever been the object of such activity; how about participating in it yourself? Well, the Bible is very specific in its warning against gossiping, and follows its warning closely with instructions regarding how we should correct those who do so. Gossip is hurtful... if it were meant to lift someone up then it would have been exercised openly in the form of an announcement. No one ever gossips about good news unless their intention is to undermine it.
“You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord. "You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.”
Leviticus 19:16-17 ESV
What exactly is gossip? Gossip is conversation about another person(s) that is typically unfounded on truth, and usually derogatory or salacious in nature, and it is sin. You know this type of news... “someone said that Bob was seen downtown hanging around with that roughneck John Doe last Saturday! So I told my son not to hang around Bob anymore.” or perhaps, “I heard that Betty was making eyes at Johnny in class this week!, you know that boy is bad news!”
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
Ephesians 4:29 ESV
Gossiping isn’t limited to those who are worldly, or unbelievers. On any given Sunday at church you can see folks standing aside as they whisper among themselves, and glance about nervously. Let me assure you that there is no good form of gossip. If a rumor begins the telephones start ringing inside the church offices just as quickly as between the houses of the congregants. There is an old saying that has several different forms, but they are all similar to this one....”Bad news travels fast, but good news is scarcely heard.” Gossip is never meant to announce good news, but to sow discord, and to make someone feel powerful or better about themselves at the expense of someone else, but scripture speaks directly to us when we do this...
“Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure.”
Psalms 101:5 ESV
So why is it that gossip is so rampant among us, and still maintains a foothold in our churches? It is because our very nature thrives on it. We love nothing better than to flit around the demise of another and feed on the problems of the less fortunate, or be the first to drive a nail into the fallen. We consume it much like a child gulps down candy.
“The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.”
Proverbs 18:8 ESV
None of us are without guilt here. At some point in our lives, perhaps today, or even a few moments ago, we have gossiped, or listened with great anticipation as someone whispered some tasty morsel of news into our ear. We tell ourselves we are not gossiping, and yet we hide our comments from those that they pertain to, and we find that we can’t wait to retell those things we’ve heard... we are gossips! Our tongues go unbridled it seems.
“For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.”
James 3:7-10 ESV
To guard against this we should warn one another when we hear ourselves gossip. In this way we can protect each other against this severe form of sin that is readily mentioned in the same scriptural breath as evildoers, and murderers.
“They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,”
Romans 1:29 ESV
To further guard against this sinfulness, we should direct our attention towards what is good, and avoid speaking, or listening to idle gossip...
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Philippians 4:8-9 ESV
Are you ready to put an end to gossip in your life, and the harm you do to others?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for warning us against the sin of gossip, and the hurt it causes. Help us Lord to bridle our tongues, and to have courage enough to gently correct those who find themselves spreading such conversation about others. Turn our heads away Holy Father when we are tempted to listen to gossip as its being told, and, should we hear it spoken, then close our mouths against repeating it. Teach us to keep our thoughts pure, and our mouths shut tight against the temptations that attack us from within. If we sin in this way Merciful Lord, Bring us quickly to our knees In contrition and hear our moans for forgiveness. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God of truth, and pure thought. Great are you whose Word guides us towards loving one another, and away from hurting our neighbors. Merciful are you who prevents us from cutting our own souls with the knife of our tongue. Praised be your name Father; in you we find the courage to correct others, and the strength to resist the sin of gossip within ourselves. Thank you for your Son Jesus who teaches us how to live with a righteous tongue and pure ears, and for your Holy Spirit who provides us with an understanding of the danger our words contain. Your mercy and grace overcome our hopelessness, and pave the way for us to find forgiveness in the name of Jesus... wash our thoughts clean, and purify our mouths with a coal from your altar. In place of our gossip we pray, and worship your Holy Name, now, and forevermore.
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
Psalms 19:14 ESV
Rich Forbes