the tongue

"Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking lies."  Psalm 34:13

God has created every human with the ability to talk; there may be a few exceptions due situations one is born with. However, even the deaf manage to communicate using their hands. We all have the privilege to express ourselves and to have verbal exchange.

As Christians our words should encourage, edify and enrich others. This is what God expects of us. 

In the above verse David is giving good advice concerning the tongue. He is speaking from personal experience. He pretended to be crazy in order to avoid danger and Abimelech dismissed him. David had no business in the environment he was in, but he was reacting out of fear. This caused him to deceive those around him. Deception is a lot like lying because it leads others to think that what they are seeing is the real deal, when it's a cover for something else. If it isn't the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, it's a lie. Don't ever forget that!

We are told to keep our tongue from evil speaking. Evil speaking involves words that are injurious, intentionally hurtful and words that can ruin a person's reputation. It is also called speaking ill of others. We are to make an effort to avoid using our tongue in this manner.

Negative words end up bringing harm to the speaker by eventually making life difficult for them. What goes around does come around. What a man sows, he will also reap. Those same negative words will have consequences on the one who put them out there. An evil speaker will lose the trust and respect of others. They will not have good days. Trouble will follow them wherever they go.

Evil speaking causes disunity (discord) among God's people and God hates this immensely. It is an abomination, as well as lying lips (Proverbs 12:22). In Proverbs 6:16-19 God lists six things that He hates and the seventh one in verse 19 says, "he that soweth discord among brethren."

Lies and deceit create offenses, and it separates relationships that otherwise would be harmonious. There are different types of liars. There are prolific liars who lie easily at the drop of a hat. They have mastered and developed such a habit of lying that it becomes a part of them. They believe their own lies. They don't lie necessarily with the intent to do harm, but they do cause harm. Some are pathological liars in that they are aware of what they are doing. They mean it for harm.

Let us judge our tongues and think twice before speaking. Let us hold our negative views of others and keep our thoughts to ourselves. Let us honor the Lord God in all that we say and do.