(Adapted from Chapter 8 of Daniel Henderson’s new book, Never Shaken)

The world watched in horror in the late summer of 2023 when the Lahaina fire swept through the historic Hawaiian community on the island of Maui. Drought conditions and sixty-seven-mile-an-hour winds accelerated the sudden destruction that resulted in $3.2 billion in losses, burning 2,170 acres and damaging or destroying three thousand structures, many of them composed of older, wood frame construction.[i]  Around a hundred people died and dozens remained missing weeks later.

The Bible asserts that the tongue is a fire. “A worthless man digs up evil, while his words are like scorching fire” (Prov. 16:27). James warns that a “forest is set aflame by such a small fire! 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” (James 3:5–6). Talk about a clear and present danger! Fueled by hearts that have tolerated a drought of the Word of God and propelled by powerful gusts of carnality, our verbal flames move swiftly. In less than twenty-four hours, a “fire” can sweep through churches and circles of friends, leaving charred and ruined relationships in its wake.

Social media also serves as a global pipeline for communication that is suspect and harmful. Fact-checker sites need other fact-checker sites to check their “facts.” Group text threads carry the potential to weave tales of mystery and mischief. Words, in whatever form, are potent. Rumors can destroy relationships, create upheaval in churches, and undermine our gospel testimony.

Torched by Tongues – Removed by Rumors

After his betrayal and banishment by his scheming son Absalom, David wrote numerous Psalms—one being Psalm 15. We know that when we’ve been wounded or mistreated, we fight the temptation to manipulate the situation for self-justification or retaliation. Words become easy munitions for our ill-motivated battle.

When we’ve been wounded or mistreated, we fight the temptation to manipulate the situation for self-justification or retaliation. Words become easy munitions for our ill-motivated battle.

But God spoke to David very clearly about the integrity of a true God-follower. Psalm 15:3 states, “He does not take up a reproach against his friend.” David was unjustly driven to a remote survival zone because slanderous words were spoken and derogatory words were received—against him. Like David, we all must learn that while we should be the lord of our tongue we must also be the master of our ears.

While we should be the lord of our tongue we must also be the master of our ears.

A Lion-Like Strategy

A less-famous story of Aesop’s Fables tells of the scheme of a lion who eventually figured out how to make four fabulous meals out of a quartet of bulls—a single serving at a time.

Once on a time four Bulls agreed
To herd together and to feed
In the same pasture. Crouched nearby,
A Lion watched, but dared not try
His strength against four Bulls combined:
And so by craft he undermined
Their friendship, sowing seeds of hate
And causing them to separate
And graze in fields apart. This done,
He feasted on them one by one.[ii]

We don’t know exactly how the lion undermined their bond of friendship, but we learn that he sowed “seeds of hate.” Maybe when one would fall behind, he would sneak up and whisper, “The other three are talking about you behind your back,” or “They are out to get you,” or “You can’t trust Bull #2 because he is a thief and a liar. Keep your distance.” In any case, it worked. It still works today.

Staying in the animal kingdom for a moment, Proverbs 26:17 illustrates, “Like one who takes a dog by the ears is he who passes by and meddles with strife not belonging to him.” So don’t be a bull who is taken out by the latest verbal garbage. Don’t get bitten by a mad dog by grabbing the “ears” of some rumor or babbling buzz that seeks to catch your attention—whether in the latest viral post or a corner-of-the-room conversation.

A Distaste for the Critical Tidbits

To “take up a reproach” (Psalm 15:3) simply means to receive, to endure, or to accept as accurate. In the Hebrew, you find that it is the same word used in Numbers 21 when the bronze serpent was “lifted up.” So, we don’t receive, nor do we elevate to others, the flaws or failings of a friend. The heart of this verse is that we will not give attention to critical tidbits about someone, and we refuse to carry it any further.

Today, it is just the way we roll—in politics, business, and even in families. We love to hear the juicy stuff. The bombastic captures our attention. We find a twisted secret pleasure in being “in the know” about the latest gossip. But the Bible warns, “You shall not bear a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a malicious witness” (Ex. 23:1).

Just as David’s city had been divided through the spread of whispers, rumors, and innuendos, so it happens today. A “reproach” or a “slur” (NIV) is something negative that is cast upon another. It includes the placing of blame, the pinning of guilt, or the questioning of character. Innuendos come floating your way, just waiting for you to make your ears a garbage dump for what others are distributing.

In daily relationships, we encounter people whose philosophy is, “If you can’t say anything good about someone . . . then let’s hear it!” They seem to have a fascination with the rumor mill. They find some twisted delight in hearing the latest rumors or unverified stories about others. People who spread rumors seldom bother to determine if there is any truth to what they are saying. The lead-in lines often sound like, “Did you hear the latest?” or “I’m not sure this is true but . . .” or “Someone told me . . .”

In daily relationships, we encounter people whose philosophy is, “If you can’t say anything good about someone . . . then let’s hear it!”

One expert notes,

This is the power of rumor and innuendo. You can lead people to certain conclusions through suggestions and partial information. Once they have followed the implications to the obvious conclusion, that conclusion will stick. Discrediting the incorrect rumors and providing more complete information isn’t enough to get people to change their beliefs.[iii]

Be Careful, Little Ears

Once embedded in the mind and indulged for a while, ideas are often hard to shake. Proverbs 26:22 affirms, “The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, and they go down into the innermost parts of the body.” Likewise, Psalm 15:3 teaches that the firm of character might be subject to listening to “dainty morsels.” Still, they refuse to believe it or pass it on until, through a biblical process, they are persuaded that it’s true.

So, no matter how careless words may have hurt us, we can find the grace and power in Christ to step off the gossip train, speak with care, listen with restraint, and live with integrity. The promise is clear, “he who does these things will never be shaken” (Psalm 15:5).

Copyright © 2024 Daniel Henderson. All rights reserved.

(This devotion is adapted from chapter 8 of Daniel Henderson’s new book, Never Shaken: Finding Your Footing in a World that is Sliding Away by Moody Publishers.)

[for another excerpt from Never Shaken see the article, The Promise of a Never Shaken Life.]

[i] Randall Yip, “How the Lahaina Fire Spread So Quickly,” AsAmNews, August 18, 2023, https://asamnews.com/2023/08/18/how-the-lahaina-fire-spread-so- quickly/.

[ii] https://englishaesop.blogspot.com/2010/09/herford-four-bulls-and-lion.html.

[iii] Jon Bloom, “Lay Aside the Weight of Slander,” Desiring God, December 19, 2015, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/lay-aside-the-weight-of-slander.