Good
morning and welcome to the Panhandle this warm November day. And welcome
to this study on the Book of James again. I am just now realizing
that some time in the past I posted a study from James. I thought
about changing topics, but since we are in Chapter 3; I thought I
would continue on. There might be someone who had not read my older
blog from James, who am I kidding there are a lot of someones who
did not read those blogs. I often tell folks I have one of the least
read blogs around. But if just one person reads my blog and comes to saving knowledge of
Christ Jesus or is encouraged in their walk then it's okay.
The Bible says a
great deal about the tongue. David prayed for the Lord to set a watch
and keep the door of his lips. The writer of Proverbs declared that
the hypocrite with his mouth destroyed his neighbor. Jesus warned
about judgment regarding use of the tongue (Matt. 12:36–37). James
said it takes a perfect person to not offend by words (James 3:3).
The way we talk reveals what we think, for out of the abundance of
his heart a man speaks. The use of the tongue either crowns or curses
the Christian community. The index to our spiritual health is how we
talk. Our speech reveals what kind of person we are.
The
man that professes to be religious, and yet allows himself to speak
against his neighbor with an unbridled tongue, to injure his
neighbor, deceives himself, if he thinks he loves his neighbor as
himself. Strange love! –
Treasury
of Great Preaching.
I
am going to back up here and take a quick look at verses 3-6.
3
Now if we put the bits into the horses' mouths so that they will obey
us, we direct their entire body as well. 4 Look at the ships also,
though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still
directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot
desires. 5 So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it
boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such
a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity;
the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire
body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by
hell.
1.
The Tongue’s Power to Direct (James 3:3–5).
James 3:3–5 illustrates the great potential of the tongue in how it
directs: like the bit to control a horse and the helm to control a
ship. The power of the tongue is effective to direct the lives of
others into right or wrong paths. We must ever be aware of the idle
word, the questionable story, the deliberate lie, or a half-truth,
which is in reality a whole lie. If the tongue is properly regulated,
the whole man—as a horse is managed by the bit and a ship is
steered by the helm—is brought under control. The problem with the
tongue, however, is that it has the power to direct in the wrong way
as well.
2.
The Tongue’s Power to Destroy (James 3:6).
James gives us the tongue’s description, comparing it to a fire, a
world of iniquity (3:6). He further states that it defiles the whole
body, sets on fire the course of nature and is itself set on fire of
hell. What a powerful indictment! The tongue defiles, destroys and
damns men by suggesting sin, committing sin, condoning sin, excusing
sin, and defending sin. Throughout his epistle, James describes the
tongue’s devastation: the hasty tongue (1:19), the hellish tongue
(3:6), the heathen tongue (5:12), the hypocritical tongue (1:26), and
the heartless tongue (2:15–16) are all described in this book.
James
3:7-12
7
For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea,
is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8 But no man can tame the
tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we
bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been
made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed
blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.
11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same
opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine
bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.
1.
James continues showing
the power of the tongue, the fact that it is ungovernable, and that
there is no power of man to keep it under control.
In
contrast, man can tame about everything else in all of creation,
including all kind of animals - bird, reptile, and creature of the
sea (v. 7).
James is speaking in a general and popular sense, showing the
remarkable power of man over those things which are by nature savage
and wild. The power of man to tame wild beasts is wonderful.
Indeed,
it should be remembered that nearly all those beasts which we now
speak of as "domestic" animals, and which we are accustomed
to see only when they are tame, were once wild. This is the case with
the horse, the ox, the donkey, (see the notes at Job 11:12; 39:5),
the pig, the dog, the cat, etc.
The
tongue is an evil without restraint, an evil which there seems to be
no check that can be applied. If anyone has any doubts, just look at
the condition of the world. There is no sting of a serpent that does
so much evil in the world; there is no poison more deadly to the
frame than the poison of the tongue is to the happiness of man. Who,
for example, can stand before the power of the slanderer? What
mischief can be done in society that can be compared with that which
he may do? – (from
Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
Folks,
that old nursery rhyme, “Sticks and stones may break my bones. But
words will never hurt me,” is a lie. Words hurt very much!
2.
As a "restless
evil" it is almost impossible to control and totally
inconsistent in that the tongue that blesses some also curses others.
It should not be so; blessings should flow freely from our mouths—but
not cursing. We have been created in God’s image to bring glory to
Him. Yet, because of sin, we are a strange mixture of good and evil.
It seems
our tongue betray us by expressing both blessings and cursing. No one
can tame the tongue. But there is hope; James draws us back to God
once again. His overwhelming evidence regarding the wickedness and
destructiveness of our tongues establishes the fact that we are
helpless in the human realm.
But we
have great hope and potential in the spiritual realm. The problem
with our tongues is a spiritual problem. They have been under the
control of our sinful nature. All evil comes from Satan, and he has
taken control of the tongues of human beings.
Out
of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. No spring yields both
salt water and fresh. The meaning here is pretty obvious. Out of
the mouth of man two such opposite things proceed. And this should
not be so.
3. The Tongue’s Power to Delight (James 3:9–17).
A. The
Illustrations (v. 11). James uses a fountain and fruit trees to
set forth this truth (3:9–17). He argues, “Does a spring send
forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree,
my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring
yields both salt water and fresh.”
B. The
Impossibility (v. 10b). James declares that it is impossible for
a fountain to give both fresh and salt water at the same time.
Likewise it is impossible for the tongue to speak blessings and
cursing at the same time; in the end your blessings are contradicted
and mean nothing.
C. The
Imperative (vv. 8–10). These verses make it obvious that the
Christian must discipline his tongue. The holy tongue, happy tongue,
honest tongue, and humble tongue characterize the Christian. He uses
his tongue to pray for wisdom, help the afflicted, for healing, and
for backsliders to be restored. He uses his tongue to praise his
heavenly Father for His glory, goodness and greatness. He uses his
tongue to proclaim the gospel.
- The Inference (v. 8a). The tongue can only be tamed by the Holy Spirit. James declares, “But no man can tame the tongue.” If we cannot tame the tongue, we must rely on the Holy Spirit to do so in our lives. We are exhorted to yield our members (Rom. 6:13) to the Lord. That includes the tongue.
Conclusion:
Perhaps it’s time we all gave our tongues to the Lord and prayed,
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be
acceptable in Your sight, O
Lord, my strength and
my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).1
Study
Questions
- The tongue has the power to direct in the right way, but it also has the power to direct in the?
- James describes the tongue’s devastation as:
- the (1:19),
- the (3:6),
- the (5:12),
- the (1:26),
- the (2:15–16)
4. Should two such opposite things proceed out of the mouth of man? Why or why not?
1
Morgan, R. J. (n.d.). Nelson’s
Annual Preacher’s Sourcebook (2009 Edition, pp.
152–153). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
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