Gossip
Have you ever found yourself chomping at the bit to wow someone with a little juicy gossip? I am ashamed to say that I have been the herald of news more than I want to admit. I have a feeling you can relate. I don’t think I’m alone in this. Why is it so satisfying to share information commonly demeaning or critical of another? I can only assume that we find it savory to talk about and belittle the sins or circumstances of another because we mentally place ourselves above that individual. We only do this because we have not found ourselves in that particular sin or circumstance, even though we have sins others may not know or see.
Psalm 141:3-4 is a request for God’s supernatural guidance in how we use our mouths. “Lord, set up a guard for my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips. Do not let my heart turn to any evil thing or perform wicked acts with men who commit sins. Do not let me feast on their delicacies.”
Clearly, the scripture asks God to keep us from diving into the sins and wicked acts in which other people partake. However, the section began with a plea to guard the author’s mouth and ended with him asking God to keep him from feasting on the delicacies of another man’s sin. Isn’t that what we do when we gossip? We feast on the delicacies of someone else’s sin and humiliation while savoring the flavor as it drips off our tongues with pride. The middle part of those verses says, “Do not let my heart to turn to any evil thing.” Pride is plenty evil, leading to Satan’s ousting from heaven and the likely culprit for the fall of man.
I don’t have the secret answer to changing the bad behavior of gossiping about others or how to take control of our mouths. However, if pride is the motivator to gossip, there are a few things we might need to take to heart.
Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.”
1 Peter 4:8 “Above all, maintain an intense love for each other, since love covers a multitude of sins.”
Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom.”
Proverbs 16:5 “The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.”
Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”
I find it ironic that the wickedness we avoid becomes a new kind of wickedness to us when we condemn others for it with our gossiping mouths. We don’t enjoy it when others grind us to bits with their words. So, let’s stop doing the same to others. It’s like eating a bag of candy; It’s sure sweet on the tongue but does nothing good for our bodies. So, join me in this petition; Dear Lord, do not let me feast on the delicacies of gossip. Amen.