Word Weapons

A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.

Proverbs 25:18 (KJV)

God inspired Solomon to use very graphic language to describe the brutality of slander. Words can be weapons. It’s interesting that three different weapons are listed. Each would cause damage differently. Let’s examine the implication of each.

Maul is an Old English word for a hammer or a club. Can you see it? This is when we just hammer away, not giving up until the other is bruised and bleeding. There is no quick death for the victim here. Maybe this could be like the wife who just can’t say anything nice about or to her husband. She not only speaks about his faults, but she exaggerates. If he lost his keys five times, she calls it hundreds of times.

A sword is sharp. It cuts down and stabs. Words can be slung like a sword at arm’s length, intended to slash and pierce. Word daggers are used up close, often to stab in the back. They hurt.

A false witness is like a sharp arrow. Like arrows shot from far away, some pass along ugly, unverified information about people that they don’t even know.

Psalm 19:14 is the perfect prayer for us, all of us. “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer” (NKJV).

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

In this life we are to be wise as serpents and as harmless as doves. What does that mean? It means wise action should be free of malice. There are times when you have conflicts and valid concerns. Instead of slander, God has given us a way to approach these matters.

“If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses” (Matthew 18:15-16). If the person doesn’t respond, the third step is to take your concern to the church (if that person is a believer).

One Year Bible Reading

Jeremiah 30:1–31:26; 1 Timothy 2:1-15; Psalm 87:1-7; Proverbs 25:18-19