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Note to readers: This is an alternate reading from the Three Year Lectionary, and may not match up with the readings your church uses this Sunday.
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. … You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord. You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18)
Long ago, when I was very young, I believed that old proverb: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” I reasoned to myself, “People will get to know me. Then, if anyone lies about me, they will know it couldn’t possibly be true; and the lies will do me no harm.” (Yes, I was very young!)
God knows better. The problem is, human beings are just not that smart. We have a terrible, blind tendency to believe what others say, even if they have a reputation for being liars—even if the person being lied about has never shown us anything but kindness and goodness.
The situation is made worse by the fact that gossip is a sport for some people. They get pleasure from running others down—or even worse, from using the power they have to damage other people’s lives. And so God takes it very seriously, all the careless or evil things we say with our tongues.
As a young adult, I discovered the hard way how much damage the tongue can do. But I also came to realize there was one Person who would never, ever harm me through what He said to me or about me—Jesus, my Savior. One of His Names is the Word of God, and that Word brings life, not death.
Jesus is the One who says to us, “Your sins are forgiven,” even the sins of our tongues; and He backs it up with His own body, His own life—laid down for us on the cross. And when Jesus rises from the dead, He comes to His people and says, “Peace be with you”—because now we never need to be afraid of God’s judgment again. When God the Father looks at us, He calls us “children.” And Jesus says to us, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine. … Because you are precious in My eyes, and honored, and I love you” (Isaiah 43:1b, 4a).
WE PRAY: Lord, You know the sins of my tongue; forgive me, and make my speech like Yours. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
- How can you use your tongue to be a blessing to others?
- Tell about a time when someone helped you through their speech.
- What is the best thing Jesus has said to you?
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