They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things, who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?” (Psalm 12:2)
Think of all the different organs located in the body and the importance they have in allowing life to function as God intended it. Then consider where and how God positioned those vital organs and why. Now let’s focus on the tongue — the organ enclosed in the mouth, held behind our lips and surrounded by our cheeks. It’s almost as if God was trying to tell us something! Yet, with all of these precautionary enclosures He installed around the tongue, we still can’t seem to control what comes out of it — thus the declaration, “With our tongue we will prevail.” In other words, far too often our tongue prevails over our conscience and what we know to be right. In fits of anger or distress, whatever crosses our mind comes spilling out of our mouth.
In Jewish thought, sins of the tongue are equated to the seemingly more grievous sins of idolatry, adultery and murder. Some people might stop short of seeing the similarities but the notion is substantiated by numerous verses that address the tongue’s ability to destroy others. In the verses above, David focused his attention on how evil men use their tongues to produce slanderous tales and gossip. While tearing others down with words, they build themselves up with words. They use their tongues to speak of their own merits and boast about prideful things.
Not only will wicked men use the tongue to destroy others but also use it to hide their sins and flaws with smooth, polished words that seek to deceive the weak and unsuspecting. Even God’s people have been guilty of this: as it is written, “They honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me (Isaiah 29:13).
We all know this but it bears repeating: God hates this kind of behavior — and so should we. We should disdain it so strongly that we continually remind ourselves never to engage in it. From beginning to end, the Scripture addresses the power of the tongue and warns us to beware of the pitfalls it can lead us into. So then, instead of regarding our lips as our own, as the wicked do, let us regard them as instruments of the Most High, to be used only for what pleases Him.
Perhaps if we thought about the issue in that light before we speak, what comes out of our mouth might be better received by others and bear good fruit in their lives and ours. David said that the wicked ask, “Who is lord over us?” — the righteous have the answer: The God of Heaven is LORD over us and, so then, let us lord over our tongues.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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