Hung By The Tongue

God hates the gossiper. No, really! Just read Proverbs 26:20. That’s how he feels about those who traffic in rumor, half-truths and conversations that are meant to tear down and break up. No wonder being the object of gossip hurts just about as bad as anything—if God himself hates malicious gossip and chronic gossipers, it’s got to be an activity which is birthed in the pit of hell.

Enduring Truth // Focus: Proverbs 26:20

Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.

Have you ever been the object of malicious gossip? Stinks, doesn’t it? When you are in a position of visibility like I am, the gossip factor seems to go way up. My favorite tidbit of gossip was in a previous ministry where a lady who didn’t like me (imagine that) much pulled one of my church members aside and whispered in her ear,

“Hey, I heard the pastor traded his BMW in for a Lamborghini!”

Sheesh! I wish. I would have just been happy to have the BMW instead of the Toyota my family said looked like an old man’s car.

Gossip stinks. It hurts. It is meant to divide, demean, and destroy a person’s character in the eyes of others while in some sick way building up the esteem of the purveyor of the gossip. The only game the gossiper knows how to play is a zero-sum game: They can win only if the object of their gossip loses.

Gossip destroys reputations, it ruins friendships, it wrecks homes, it hurts businesses and it even messes up what Jesus loves so dearly—the church. And something else about gossip we need to realize: God hates gossip…and God hates gossipers!

Ouch! You think I am being too hard-nosed about that? Okay, decide for yourself:

There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. (Proverbs 6:16-19)

Yeah, that’s what God thinks about those who traffic in gossip, half-truths and conversations that are meant to tear down and break up. No wonder being the object of gossip hurts just about as bad as anything—if God himself hates malicious gossip and chronic gossipers, it’s got to be an activity which is birthed in the pit of hell.

Now here’s the thing: If you’ve had that horrible experience of being gossiped about, you’ve probably been the source of some gossip yourself, or if not the source, the conduit. But without a source, and without a pipeline, gossip dies—which is the only fitting outcome for gossip.

He that gossips and he that listens should both be hung
One by the ear and the other by the tongue!

So the next time you’re tempted to pass on a juicy tidbit about someone else, or listen to someone who can’t wait to tell you something about someone else who isn’t there, just remember what God feels about gossip—and don’t!