Does Your Speech Betray You?

In the 12th chapter of Judges there is an interesting story.  Jephthah leads the men of Gilead into battle against the Ammonites, only they neglect to ask the Ephraimites to join them in the battle.  Now maybe it's because I'm a girl, but I believe I would breathe a sigh of relief to that.  But no, the men of Ephraim come to Jephthah rather peeved, threatening to burn down Jephthah's house in retaliation for being left out of the fun.  And just to add insult to injury they are going to leave Jephthah inside the house.  While it is burning.  Well evidently the Gileadites were still feeling the rush of the victory over the Ammonite battle, for they just turned and went to war with Ephraim.  Many of the men of Ephraim fled from the battle and so the men of Gilead cut off their path of retreat where they were to cross the river Jordan.  If, when they went to cross over, they answered the question "Are you an Ephraimite?" with "Nay", then they were told to say, "Shibboleth".  I gather, not unlike the notorious Bostonion  "R", the Sh blend was not easily pronounced in the Ephraim dialect.  Therefore it came out 'Sibboleth', and at that point the man was promptly killed.

There is another incidence in the Bible where we read of a man's speech giving him away. In the 26th chapter of Matthew we are with Peter as he is standing afar off while Jesus is being questioned, beaten and readied for his crucifixion.  After he denies several times being one of the followers of Jesus, in verse 73 a man actually says to him, "Surely you are one of them, for your speech betrayeth you."  Whether it was his dialect or his manner of speech, Peter sets out to disprove them by promptly swearing and denying even knowing Jesus.  We all know the rest of the story, for the rooster then crows and Peter is reminded, heartbreakingly so, of Christ's prediction of Peter's upcoming denial at His greatest hour of need.

Jesus had, in Matt. 12:34-37, told the people that out of the abundance of the heart man speaks.  What is in our hearts will show itself by what comes out of our mouths.  That is such a blatant condemnation, that most of us are in immediate denial.  Words spoken in a moment of anger surely don't count, do they?  Emotions get the best of us and before we have a moment to think about it the words are out.  Surely no one is going to hold us to those words, are they?  What about times when we just aren't thinking?  Carelessness shouldn't count should it?  Are we to be condemned for out and out stupidity?

Think about what the core of each of these episodes were about.  They revealed who the men were.  The speech of the men of Ephraim clearly exposed them as being Ephraimites.  Peter, even though he tried to disguise his speech could not hide who he truly was from the people around him.  Read exactly what Jesus said:

O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things?

for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things:

and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, 

they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment.

 Mt. 12:34-36

Frankly, we do not like the sound of this because we are appalled at how often what proceeds out of our mouths is not a positive reflection of what would be in our hearts.  The truth of the matter is it is much easier to clean up the outside, to polish the outer image, than it is to clean up the inside.  The outside can be faked, can't it?  We can put on an artificial facade much more easily than we can change the inner man.  But God is very clear that this won't work for very long.  Eventually the truth will be known.  But if you've tried it, you know that cleaning up the inside yourself is an exercise in futility.  We try, but it doesn't seem to work.  It's not unlike the gesture of washing a child's mouth out with soap for using bad language.  The mouth isn't the issue; the issue is the heart.  And the fact of the matter is that at the heart of us all is a sin nature that should be crucified, right?  But it continues to raise its ugly head and seek its way over and over, trying to gain dominance and power in our lives.  We feel powerless and frustrated over it.  And in a sense we are powerless, but there is an answer.

 The answer lies not in us gaining control, but in releasing control, in surrendering control.  As we allow God to purify us and sanctify us through His Word, through walking in His Spirit and growing in grace, we find we begin to diminish, and He will increase.  As we surrender more and more of our hearts and lives to control of the Holy Spirit, as we walk more and more in the light of His Word; as our lives yield more and more of the fruit of the Spirit we will see the impact of it in our speech.  As we yield control of our lives to the Spirit of God, our mouths will follow.  

I believe our speech does matter.  Idle words as well as words forethought with malice.  It is easy to point fingers to those who go around spewing venom and hatred as the ones with speech problems, those with vulgar, ugly language as the ones with the problems.  The gossipers, the brawlers, the ones with the uncontrollable tempers.  But the Irish proverb, "words are like an arrow let fly" is applicable here, for it matters not if the string of the bow was released while being aimed at a target with deadly intent, or haphazardly with no thought of where the arrow would land.  If the arrow hits a soft spot, the pain of impact is the same, regardless of intent.  Thoughtlessness is wrong as well.  We must apply wisdom to our words, at all times.  When we cause injury or harm with our words, we need to take responsibility for them.  If malice or purpose was in play, forgiveness may not come as easily, but must be sought just the same.  Words matter, God said so.  He is teaching me some important lessons here....and I have much to learn still. 

Max on Life, by Max Lucado

I just finished reading “Max on Life, Answers and Insights to Your Most Important Questions”, the latest book by author Max Lucado. This book is a compilation of some of the most pressing, difficult and maybe even complex questions Max has been asked in his more than 30 years as a pastor, husband and father. Imagine if you had the opportunity to sit down and ask him your most nagging question. This may well be your opportunity. The questions range from 'How can I know God truly exists?' to 'What will our bodies look like in Heaven?'

Written in his familiar style, this book is simple yet at the same time not shallow. A person who is unfamiliar with the Bible will not feel condescended to, while the Bible scholar may find themselves even yet challenged. As always with a book by Mr Lucado, I was moved, inspired and entertained. I encourage you to add this book to your collection.