October 4 – Pitfalls of Gossip
Proverbs 17:4: “Wrongdoers eagerly listen to gossip; liars pay close attention to slander.”
Gossip can burn in the belly, waiting to be let out. A chronic gossiper or even slanderer cannot stop. And the one listening is equally guilty. We should always note that the person ready to gossip about others will do that for you too one day! There are different kinds of gossip and slander, how do we know which kind and how to combat it?
Slanderous rumors: The first kind of slanderer/gossiper spreads rumors to destroy someone purposely, aimed in conspiracy and cunning. It can be the most damaging kind of slander and destroys lives and families in catastrophic ways. This backbiting where one speaks about the other person in their absence, where they cannot defend themselves is very harmful. It is vindictive, secretive. The Bible says in Proverbs 25:23: “The north wind brings forth rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.” This gossip stirs up conflict.
Subtle innuendos can mislead others into thinking wrong thoughts about a situation.
Jesting Jokes: Engaging in character slandering through a form of joking may seem harmless but does the heinous job to portray another person in a poor light. To treat another human as a joke is very demeaning and drowning them to despair. While people joke about others to feel better about themselves, it is really the spirit of mockery controlling them. Proverbs 21:24 says, “Mockers are proud and haughty; they act with boundless arrogance.” And verse 9:8 says, “A mocker resents correction; he will not consult the wise.”
Dishing: “Dishin’ the dirt” means sharing the juicy information and tasty tit bits you hear about someone else. It makes you say, “Did you hear? blah blah blah. We hear something, not good and not verified as true, but we repeat it, and it is repeated again. Soon the original story is so twisted like a Chinese Whisper, that distorts the original version of it. While we may not mean to cause direct harm, this kind of gossip taints the image of the person gossiped about. Proverbs 13:3 says, “He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.” Dishing is rash talk without evidence or substance and ends not only the slander in ruin but others too.
REMEDY? STOP GOSSIP: Proverbs 26:20 tells us, “For lack of wood the fire goes out, And where there is no whisperer, contention quiets down.” this means, simply, STOP.
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