THE SCOURGE OF THE TONGUE

Job 5:21 ---- "You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, and you shall not be afraid of destruction when it comes."

The tongue is a small weapon, but it is a cutting one; it is like a scourge or whip, with which wicked men strike hard and very sad to be under the lash of some men's tongues, and it is a great mercy to be delivered from them. The tongue was originally made to be an organ of God’s praise, it has now become an instrument of unrighteousness. God has set two natural fences to keep in the tongue—the teeth and lips. The tongue inflicts greater wounds than the sword. No physician can heal the wounds of the tongue!

The Scourge of the tongue is all the evil which the tongue can speak. It refers to gossip, maligning, cursing, bearing false witness and slander etc. The scorpion carries his poison in his tail but the slanderer carries his poison in his tongue! When a slanderer speaks secretly, it is a trap or an arrow by night; a scourge prepared for the back called back-biting.

The Psalmist David gives us warning:" For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue." (Psalm 5:9). The mouth of the wicked is full of deceit.

The Bible tells us in Isaiah 54:17 that "No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of Me, says the Lord.” Many things can be weapons when wielded by anger and malice but they will not prosper against God's people. God will condemn every tongue that rises against His people in judgment. This is our heritage in the Lord.

" You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues."( Psalm 31:20). The pavilion of the Lord is the secret place of the Most High God. We have access to this place in God where no tongue will be able to strive against us. God will take us to a safe place where people cannot see us and complain. 

God has promised to deliver us from the scourge of the tongue, and it becomes our responsibility not to allow these flattering words to wound us.
Guard your tongues, “Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.” (Psalm 34:13)

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." (Proverbs 18:21). A person's tongue can either speak life, or it can speak death. We will eat of the fruit that our tongues produce.

“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Psalm 34:1)

James Dina