Reminders
And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. James 3:6 NASB
Sets on fire – June 4, 1391. Seville, Spain. Ferrand Martinez sets fire to the Jewish quarter and takes the surviving Jews in captivity, selling them as slaves.
June 4, 1967. Israel. The confrontation line between Israel and Syria is set. Fire erupts the next day.
But before these events occurred, something else had to happen. Men spoke before they acted. Heschel reminds us of the consequences of words. “[Words] must be used very carefully. Some words, once having been uttered, gain eternity and can never be withdrawn.”[1] He provides further incredible insights:
Our dogmas are allusions, intimations, our wisdom is an allegory, but our actions are definitions.[2]
Our survival depends upon the conviction that there is something that is worth the price of life.[3]
The Bible is not a system of abstract ideas but a record of happenings in history. . . . Events rather than abstractions of the mind are the basic categories by which the biblical man lives. . . . The God of the philosopher is a concept derived from abstract ideas; the God of the prophets is derived from acts and events. The root of Jewish faith is, therefore, not a comprehension of abstract principles but an inner attachment to those events; to believe is to remember, not merely to accept the truth of a set of dogmas.”[4]
We who have grown up in the West believe in words. We assume that men are rational and language not only defines the world but enables us to control it—and other people. Words are a power in this world, a power that exceeds the human ability to control them. Words are the nuclear option of human interaction. That’s why the Bible decries lashon ha’ra, the tongue that speaks evil. What words will you leave as eternal today?
Topical Index: lashon ha’ra, words, tongue, fire, James 3:6
[1] Abraham Heschel, Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity, p. ix.
[2] Ibid., p. 5.
[3] Ibid., p. 6.
[4] Ibid., pp. 12-13.
Yes
” . . . every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
Million Dollar Speech
~ But I say unto you,- every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment ~ Luke 6.45
WoW! We are accountable for all of our words? Yes, “actions do speak louder than words ,” (politicians take note!), but James has set out this warning for us all: “Watch your words!!”
And now for the “How To.” Ready? May we (each) memorize and personalize this powerful prayer of the Shepherd-King:
~ May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer ~ (Psalm 19.14)
Our words give us away. They a revelation of what is in our hearts. Friends, “What is in the well —comes up in the bucket!” Angry words come from an angry heart. Loving words come from a loving heart. And etc.!!
But is a renewed mind and a purified heart possible? ~ Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ? ~ (2 Corinthians 10.5)
Words can be harmful or healing. Today, may we be used as His “ambassadors” to “Speak Life!!”
This was an excellent response, Carl. While many times life seems complex, sometimes it’s just so simple.
A week ago after Shabbat Service David and I had a conversation with a brother in the parking lot. It was uplifting and we all left feeling love towards one another. 4 days later a text message informed us he was found dead in his home. I felt overwhelming sadness as he was too young to be gone so suddenly , however I am happy that our last conversation will always be a good memory. Gives new meaning to ” speak grace to the hearer” and ” speak words seasoned with salt”
Our sympathy in your loss, Maddie. And thank you for sharing this… We do not know when the words we speak may be the last we will share with anyone – one of the best reasons to speak in love.
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” We repent our way back into the eternal purpose. We “stand and confess” and our teshuva (at least the results of it is) is seen publicly. Our witness consists of sharing that cosmic shift with all around us and our forgiveness for the fractures we were responsible or participated in is obtained by forgiving those who created fracture in our lives. This is how we “return” to participation in the eternal purpose.
That “inner attachment to those events” is obtained by “remembering”. Remembering what? The Ten Commands, spoken as well as written, were not ‘new’; they were presented as things that were “remembered”. Obedience is how the Children were reconnected with the eternal purpose. Obedience is HOW we “remember” “every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God”. This is what makes that Word come alive in our lives, so that, like that Sinai event, no one is able to tell the difference between the One speaking and our ‘speaking’ the fulfillment of those Commands by that obedience in our lives.
I find it interesting that, in prophetic language, when something is portrayed by “speaking” it refers to its political (legal) action. Thus, when the dragon of Revelation 13 “speaks great words against the Most High” it is referring to the actions of will enforced in the world and carried out by those obedient to that will against the Most High. Likewise, when a nation “speaks” it is a legal enactment of the political will of that nation. It is an enactment of purpose. When I “speak”, my actions speak louder than my words, too. I think I will shut up now so y’all can hear me better.
Heard you well Laurita
Just when I thought I was getting some outside insight on trauma you open another can of worms. help ?
bandjodem @ gmail dot com FYI
(link was removed) Please don’t post links in the comments.
Thank you! Mark
welcome