Gossip

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

GOSSIP

Prov 18:6-8

6 A fool's lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating. 7 A fool's mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul. 8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts.

NIV

It would seem right to connect these three together as they are a progression of conduct and response. Again it comes down to the idea that words matter. There are timed when we all might say something we wish we could take back, but this describes a person who is continually a quarrelsome speaker. It is not about honest debate however. There is always room for civil disagreement among those who are in search of the truth. To continually be in agreement simply to avoid any conflict would not be the opposite of the lips of this fool. The whole of the idea of these fools lips are their speaking gossip. Gossip will bring strife to the one who gossips. These types of words invite a beating, perhaps not physical, but a strong rebuke. That is to say when gossip is on the lips, the speaker of such words should be rebuked, being told it is inappropriate to share information of that nature as the truth is not known, it is just gossip. However we can also see the gossip will be undone, their soul is snared, and who is the best to snare a man’s soul? The answer is Satan, the father of all lies, which gossip would fall into that category. Sure it might be true that which is spread by the lips of a gossip, but it also might be true those lips embellish, adding fiction to fact. A saying we know not its origin clearing would put an end to gossip, “It we are not part of the problem or the solution, we have no need to know the story”. Yet it is the third part of this saying of Solomon which tells the truth of the heart of man. Gossip is a choice morsel, or dainties, it is gulped down into the innermost parts of man’s nature. There is not only the willingness to listen, but an inner desire to know the dirty little secrets of another’s trouble, mistake, or indiscretion. Some would thrive on hearing those words of gossip. The multimedia has provided us with that ability of voyeurism, a visual gossip of sorts. Facebook is a prime example that can be used as the ultimate gossip page, just as those papers in the checkout lanes. It seems there is a need to know about what everyone else is doing. No, gossip is just gossip and it should have no place in the life of us believers. Again, if we are not part of the problem and we are not part of the solution then we have no business with the situation of another’s life. That is not to say we should not live our lives together openly with each other, sharing our concerns and our joys. But it is when the third party brings news, it is when the lips of the gossip speak, we are admonished to rebuke them, not to swallow their tale. This would also speak to our own hearts not to allow our lips to speak gossip, not to be a fool who brings contention. These types of words bring hurt and pain, both to the one who is spoken of and to the one who hears, but it also brings hurt and pain to the speaker. When gossip is revealed it always brings pain and suffering to all concerned. Let us not allow our lips to work that kind of response.