“The words of a whisperer (gossip) are like dainty morsels [to be greedily eaten]; They go down into the innermost chambers of the body [to be remembered and mused upon]. Proverbs 18:8 AMP

There is something about knowing something that no one else knows about something or someone else! Generally, gossip isn’t usually about good things. It tends to be about hidden secrets or moral failures. Most often they bring with them strife and division. The Hebrew word here for “whisperer” is the word meaning “one who grumbles or complains!” It describes the person who is full of miscontent and malice. Gossip always comes from a place of malcontent or jealously.  It doesn’t seek to build up but rather to tear down. The “whisperer” is like one who pours gasoline and ten throws a match and then runs away to watch the devastation! 

When the Israelites lost focus of God and started to worship the golden calf, we read the following words.

“Then they despised the pleasant land [of Canaan]; They did not believe in His word nor rely on it, 25But they sulked and complained in their tents; They did not listen to the voice of the LORD.”

Psalms 106:24-25

The translation “sulked and complained” is from the root word we see “whisperer.” It is the root of where the gossiping comes from! It says that they “despised” and “did not believe” in God’s Word to them! They rejected the Lord and followed their own way instead. What a dangerous practice to be engaged in! These people basically are saying because I am not satisfied and miserable, you should be too! Remember the words of the Apostle James?

“In the same sense, the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See [by comparison] how great a forest is set on fire by a small spark! 6And the tongue is [in a sense] a fire, the veryworld of injustice and unrighteousness; the tongue is set among our members as that which contaminates the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life [the cycle of man’s existence], and is itself set on fire by hell (Gehenna).7For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and sea creatures, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. 8But no one can tame the human tongue; it is a restless evil [undisciplined, unstable], full of deadly poison. 9With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God. 10Out of the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. These things, my brothers, should not be this way [for we have a moral obligation to speak in a manner that reflects our fear of God and profound respect for His precepts].”

James 1:5-10 AMP

Do you see it? “…we have a moral obligation to speak in a manner that reflects our fear of God and profound respect for His people.” That is exactly what the Israelites failed to o in the wilderness! We must remember that sin is still at work within us and that we must take authority over it. As the opening verse describes the alluring draw of gossip as “lik3 a dainty morsal…” we should always be on the alert that we do not fall victim to its call! The word there is the word meaning to eat something sweat! Who can resist a tasty desert or your favorite snack! We will read in Proverbs 26 the following,

“For lack of wood the fire goes out, And where there is no whisperer [who gossips], contention quiets down.”

Proverbs 26:20 AMP

Nothing could be truer in the case of the effects of gossip! We generally so not think of gossip as something really that serious. We should however remember the word of the Apostle Paul to the church at Rome;

“And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God or consider Him worth knowing [as their Creator], God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do things which are improper and repulsive, 29until they were filled (permeated, saturated) with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice and mean-spiritedness. They are gossips [spreading rumors], 30slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors [of new forms] of evil, disobedient and disrespectful to parents, 31without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful [without pity]. 32Although they know God’s righteous decree and His judgment, that those who do such things deserve death, yet they not only do them, but they even [enthusiastically] approve and tolerate others who practice them.”

Romans 1:28-32 AMP

OUCH!!!!! Can it really be that serious? Yes! Determine today that you will not be taken in by the allurement of gossip. When you hear these things your first reaction should be to pray for the person spreading it and then for the person toward whom the gossip is aimed. If it is true then they need all the pray they can get. If it isn’t true, they will need all the protection they can get! Have a blessed day, Pastor Ken