Hung By The Tongue
Part 3 of 4
In light of David's conclusion of this Psalm, there is another aspect of the “words of our mouth and the meditation of our heart”. The ideal is embodied in Scripture, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he”. It's like a one-liner I once heard. “Be careful what you wish for; you just might get it.” It's also like another one-liner, “loose lips sink ships”.
At one time or another, all of us have fallen prey to these sinister little axioms and become “hung by the tongue”. Job was one such man that allowed himself to be ruled not only by fearful thoughts in his mind, but by outward expression of that same fear. He said in 3: 25, “That which I feared has come upon me; that which I dreaded has happened to me”.
Job had both negative thoughts and loose lips. For many years, I have viewed the story of Job in a rather negative mind-set. The idea that YHVH would conspire to play games with Job created in my mind a dim view of Adonai. Whether outright taught, led to believe, or just never saw the heart of YHVH within the story, I always viewed Job as a righteous man that was an unfortunate victim of circumstance.
Now, my study of Torah sheds a whole different light on this story. The heart of our Father is like a one-liner I once heard. “He accepts us just as we are. But, He loves us too much to leave us the way we are.” Our loving Adonai is always working hard to prune away our rough edges—like the Potter shaping us into a pure vessel. Job was in desperate need of pruning and shaping.
Job says in v. 24, “For my sighing comes before I eat, And my groanings are poured out like water”. Job set himself up for the actions of a loving Lord that couldn't bear to leave him as he was. By the weakness of his own “self” Job became hung by his own tongue and actions.
He speaks of “sighing” and “groaning” in v. 24. For the former, he is “groaning, mourning, and sighing” according to Strong's concordance. For the latter, he is “rumbling or moaning”. It appears he's not responding well to his adversity. With the help of his three friends, he's seriously wallowing in self pity.
In the beginning of his ordeal, he and his three friends joined together for seven days and nights of mourning. After this mutual “pity party”, Job begins chapter three by cursing the day of his birth. He spends the next 21 verses wishing he were dead or never born. In v. 23, he even blames YHVH for “hedging him in” so death can't touch him—all this for boils. If he only knew what was coming next!
I am not being tough or critical of Job. I am merely using insight from his story that parallels a normal response of all mankind when put in a position of great suffering. Here is a very human but righteous man that could have very easily done what his wife told him in 2: 9—“curse God and die”. Even so, it is said of this Godly man in v. 10, “in all this he did not sin with his lips”.
The insight from this story is our propensity to speak or think negative things into our lives. That which Job was afraid of actually came to pass in his life. It is also a reasonable assumption he verbalized his fears at various times prior to his ordeal. The insight from this story is the serious nature of what we think and/or say. Don't speak or think evil upon your life, or others around you. You just may get it.
Click Here To Continue In The 19th Psalm
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