Proverbs 25:23. The north wind brings rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
Here’s something everyone in ancient Israel knew: the north wind brings the rain. Here’s something else that everyone should know: backbiting makes people angry.
Are you a backbiter? A gossip? A secret teller? A blabbermouth? Do you talk about others behind their back? Don’t deny it.
Our proverb is warning us of the obvious, backbiters make people angry. Nobody likes a backbiter. The word backbiter is sometimes meant to mean sneaky or sly. Some versions say “a sly tongue” makes people angry. What does this mean? It means that often we try to be manipulative or sneaky when we talk about others behind their backs.
Backbiting should be far from the Christian’s mind and heart. When we consider that backbiting is just another form of self-promotion and self-protection, then we must ask ourselves why the person in Christ would even need to do it. If you have the promotion and protection of Christ why would you ever need to “bite and devour one another,” as Paul asked the Galatians?
Here are some questions to ask before you start talking about someone else:
First, would the person I’m talking about want me to say what I’m about to say. We talked about empathy a couple days ago. Empathy is feeling what others feel. So ask yourself how you would feel if someone talked about you behind your back.
Second, ask yourself why you feel the need to talk about others in such negative ways? WHY do I gossip? Why do I backbite? Why do I manipulate when talking about others? What feeling of superiority does it give me? Why do I need this feeling?
Again, in Christ we should never need to put others down to feel good about ourselves. Rather, we must learn to trust how Jesus feels about us. We must learn to rest in his love and acceptance of us so that the feelings of inferiority that are numbed by our criticism of others begins to melt away.
Colossians 3:8. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
Colossians 3:12-14. 12Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
You: Are you a backbiter? A gossip? Do you try to feel better about yourself by tearing others down?
You in Christ: Why does the person in Christ never need to resort to backbiting?
Christ in you: Look at the Colossians verses again. What do you need to put away? What do you need to put on in its place?
Pray: Jesus, I don’t want to be a gossiping backbiter. Help me to get my confidence from you and not from putting others down. Amen.
To Live is Christ 