Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Without wood a fire goes out;
    without a gossip a quarrel dies down.
As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire,
    so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.
The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
    they go down to the inmost parts.
Like a coating of silver dross on earthenware
    are fervent lips with an evil heart.
Enemies disguise themselves with their lips,
    but in their hearts they harbor deceit.
Though their speech is charming, do not believe them,
    for seven abominations fill their hearts.
Their malice may be concealed by deception,
    but their wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
Whoever digs a pit will fall into it;
    if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.
A lying tongue hates those it hurts,
    and a flattering mouth works ruin.

• Proverbs 26:20-28

Proverbs 26:23 ”A cheap veneer of silver over a common clay pot hiding its commonness and fragility is like the deception spoken by evil people. This thought is expanded in vv. 24–28.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

The Message

The first proverb here is about people who gossip and quarrel.  The quarrelling person kindles strife, but where is the fuel for that argument?  Solomon points toward gossip as being that fuel.  Is that always the case?  In trying to find the answer to that question, you might have to look at what gossip is.  Gossip is a blend of truth, half-truth and lies.  Some people who gossip do not do any fact checking.  They simply repeat what they heard.  Was the gossip originated by someone who has a grudge against the prime character in the gossip story?  Determining motive for telling a wild tale is probably not fact checked either.

These days a great deal of so-called “fact checking” is done within the media, but they often only consult other gossips who parrot the message that is desired by the media bosses.  I remember stories regarding COVID-19 statistics that were, for the most part, invented from thin air, but after one source quoted the stats and then another and another, there was plenty of fact checking information, but none of it reached a check of the initial fabricated source.

Gossip sounds like a local issue, within families and communities.  But Solomon could be referring to international intrigue.  Wars have been started based on “reliable” information from an ally, just to find that the ally had not checked their sources.

But Solomon’s point is that many quarrels and a string of gossip can be dried up before harm is done by removing the fuel, the lies and half-truths that paint a motive that might never be there.  Honest mistakes might happen, but even then, restoration is better than having a quarrel over matters of little importance.

The rest of this chapter covers a different use of a lying tongue.  When we deceive someone for personal gain, we have done an evil thing.  Rev. MacArthur’s quote talks about a fancy lid on a worthless pot makes the pot look better than it is.

I am often reminded of advice that I received on a sales call.  My friend said that the person I was about to meet was like a politician, if he shook my hand, I should count my fingers to see if anything is missing.  Of course, was that a fact or was it gossip?  Even if you still have all your fingers, what did that handshake cost you?

And now let us sing.

The following song is Truth Be Told.  This is sung by Matthew West.  How often have we not told a secret that is a bit embarrassing, but then someone gets wind of it?  When the gossip mill gets hold of what they think your embarrassing secret is, it gets embellished to pure falsehood.  But with a loving Christian family, the damage could have been avoided.  Maybe a little embarrassment, but that is better… truth be told, than the damage from vicious gossip.

Closing Prayer

Dear Lord,
We need Your wisdom.  Help us to value wisdom.  These proverbs talk about an evil tongue.  Please forgive us for having passed along information that we did not know for certain was true.  Lord, give us the wisdom needed to know that most of what we hear is not worth repeating, all of it should not be repeated that might cause someone pain.   And You say a lot about improper scales, but that has us think of a physical device we might modify for our own gain.  But deceit in order to get work or sell something for more than its worth is just as bad as the improper scales.  When deceit can start wars, why do we think it okay when dealing with our neighbors.  Both these proverbs point to honesty.  Show us the honest path, Lord.  In thy Name we pray.
Amen

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.