The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.

Note – All words or phrases found in quotation marks are actual parts of the Hebrew or Greek definition(s).

¹⁸ He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.

¹⁹ In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.

²⁰ The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth. ²¹ The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.

³¹ The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out. ³² The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.

Gossip

The use of the word “fool”(v,18) in reference to an individual with certain types of conduct is by far one of the worst descriptions of one’s character. It is down there with “stupid, silly, and fat” all of which are part of the definition for the word fool in this verse. There are two types of people called a fool in verse eighteen.

1 – The two-faced person. Those individuals who act as if they like someone or something only to turn around and reveal they actual have distain for that person or thing. They lie to cover their dislike (hatred) and to cover being known as one who hates at heart.

2 – The gossiper. That person who just has to run down people to whomever they can find to run them down to that is willing to listen. To slander someone is to “defame” them or give an “evil report” about them to another person according to the Hebrew definition.

Where you find a gossiper, you are likely to find the embracing of many other types of sinful behavior (v.19). Where you find a wise person who is unwilling to partake in gossip you find many other types of godly behavior.

You do not find slanderous talk emanating from a righteous person. They select their word with care, words to promote righteousness and defeat sin, not words meant to enflame sin (v.20). An evil person has a heart that is filled with wickedness. A heart filled with wickedness is of little use to anyone for any purpose (v.20).

Verse twenty-one contains two statement that contrast one another but are not directly related and their opposition to one another is obvious, hence the semicolon. The words of a righteous person are going to bear fruit, those words are going to spread to other people and bear fruit in their lives as well; this is the fruit of a life lived in wisdom (v.21). The fool’s life leads to nothing but death, a complete absence of fruit bearing; their lack of use of wisdom brings about literal and figurative death (v.21).

A righteous person is going to suggest the course of wisdom in various situation. It is hard for a godly person not to promote the path of godly wisdom (v.31). If you want to know the way to go, the way of righteousness, you need to ask a person who loves the Lord Jesus (v.32). Wicked, worldly, ungodly people will only lead you astray because their ways and beliefs are perverse aka frowardness; meaning they are twisted, not wise nor godly (v.32). In reflection upon the Hebrew definitions of some words in verse thirty-one, froward and cut out, those voices that rise up with “perversity, fraud, very forward” deceitful (froward tongue) will be “destroyed” (cut out)( v.31).

Our words are immensely important, they need to reflect godly wisdom despite our personal desires or current condition of life, health, relationship, finances, career, etc. We do not bend God’s Will to our desires, we must allow our desires to be changed to desire God’s Will. Let us each make sure when we share with other people or partake in self-talk that it is godly wisdom to which we concede.

If you have been the victim of gossip or slander and would like someone to be a sounding board, send me a message via the comment link.

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.