THINK TOGETHER.
Do you talk too much?
READ TOGETHER
Proverbs 20:19. Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler.
There are all kinds of warnings here for us about who we have as a friend and how we behave as a friend too. Mostly Solomon is concerned with how we talk. First of all, do our friends or do we slander? Do we talk bad about others, even bad things that aren’t totally true?
Second, do our friends or do we reveal secrets? Are we trustworthy? Can we keep thing to ourselves? Or, do we spread gossip?
Finally, are our friends or are we a simple babbler? A babbler doesn’t try to control what they say. They just talk, and talk, and talk without a filter. Eventually they say something they shouldn’t say, especially about someone else.
There seems to be a bit of a progression here. Maybe we start out as just a simple babbler. We just talk too much. But then we start to reveal secrets. We start to tell other people’s business. In the end we become a slanderer. We are saying all bad things about others, even if we aren’t sure if they are true. Are you a babbler? Be careful, you might be on the path to being a slanderer.
Why does Solomon warn his children about how they talk, and about talking too much? Because this kind of talk is not loving? It is not loving God or loving your neighbor if you gossip, say mean things, or tell other people’s business. In the New Testament it tells us to only say things that build others up. Kind things. Encouraging things.
Often we say mean things or gossip about others to make ourselves look good, or to remove attention from ourselves. But when we have Jesus and his love for us, then we don’t have to help ourselves by hurting others, do we? We can be quiet, listen, keep secrets, and only say things that are true and kind and helpful.
Because of Jesus we never have to make ourselves look better than others.
With Jesus we can avoid babbling, gossip, and slander.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Talk about where you might be on the progression from babbler to gossip to slanderer. Help you children to do the same. How can you reverse path?
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus, you say kind things to me, help me say kind things about others too. Amen.
TLICfamily 