“Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down.”
One of my wife’s favorite things to do is a good ‘burn’. We own a few acres of wooded land around our house and a ‘burn’ is when you light the ground on fire and the leaves, dead weeds and debris slowly (in theory) burn until the ground is clear of all the undergrowth and detritus. Watching it spread and grow is a bit exciting. If many people didn’t partake in this practice of land care I might be worried about her. The fire stays low, mostly, and spreads indiscriminately. This chapter shares a similar imagery. Contentious people may be the most dangerous in the world. Without a doubt they do tremendous damage in the kingdom. They seem to get a perverse pleasure starting small fires in others relationships and watching them spread and grow indiscriminately, destroying whoever they touch. They often become hugely destructive fires in families, churches and communities. Solomon challenges us to not pay attention to ‘tale bearers’. This is the defense against these dangerous fires. No matter how tempting these dainty morsels of defamation are we must ignore them and stop them in their tracks. Today train your listening ear and wondering heart to spot and then disregard these conversations. #BeTheEdge
“When one of them comes to see me, he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander; then he goes out and spreads it around.” Psalms 41:6 NIV
