Gossip, Fun or Dangerous?

Proverbs 6:12-19

12 A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, 13 winks with his eyes, signals[c] with his feet, points with his finger, 14 with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing discord; 15 therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.

16 There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, 19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.

I believe that God hates it when we don’t live in harmony but live for the drama and “discord” of gossip and “girl talk” as we like to call it. It’s because it does no one any good. It causes malice in our hearts and turns our heart away from grace for someone else. And who are we to do that? We don’t know their story or circumstance. We are putting ourselves above that other person (wrong move).

VS. 1 - 5

My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,

have given your pledge for a stranger,

2 if you are snared in the words of your mouth,

caught in the words of your mouth,

3 then do this, my son, and save yourself,

for you have come into the hand of your neighbor:

go, hasten,[a] and plead urgently with your neighbor.

4 Give your eyes no sleep

and your eyelids no slumber;

5 save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,[b]

like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

I love that the issue of owing someone is also addressed right off the bat. God doesn’t want us to owe anyone - if we owe others, we are not free to do whatever He has called us to do. We must do everything to get rid of that burden as fast as we can, so we are free for HIS work.