2 Samuel let him shew out of the good behaviour his works in meekness of wisdom. It can speak falsehood and filth. Very little warning precedes the sudden attack of the dangerous Bengal tiger. When the Holy Spirit works in us, He gives us self-control to speak words that please the Father. Here in Jameskataradescribes human utterance which desires evil on someone (imprecation) (. The second is first pure and then peaceable. Purity, as required by God, and exemplified in the measure of their faith by all Christs people, implies a superiority of soul, which will show itself continually in word and deed, to everything low and sensual, to everything selfish and mean,a freedom from petty views and sinister ends, and, on the contrary, a relish and love of everything really great and good. As I close this chapter, let me suggest that you start using the "Twelve Words That Can Transform Your Life." The show window is important, but the storehouse is even more so. With the person who says, 'Oh, I know I talk too much,' and laughs it off, James is not amused. Reprinted by permission. Friberg says sophos generally describes "acquired intelligence characterized by the ability to use knowledge for correct behavior (1Cor 6:5)." My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. My tongue control today; Yet it is also capable of great good. The existence of many of its villages depended on the availability of such a source for its water. Thus ultimately to curse a fellow human being is to show contempt for God. James 3:13 Divine wisdom James Brewster. (Psalm62:4 ). All too often, when we speak we remind everyone of our brokenness as human beings. Swindoll saysbitter jealousy"likely refers to jealousy that harbors hard feelings. 11:15; 1 Sam. Fountain(4077)(pege) refers to a source that is not stagnant (like a well) but a source that gushes out or flows like a spring (James 3:11,12) or a fountain "living" and leaping forth out of the ground. If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? Luke Francis Burkitt, The vice of the tongue spreads and prevails over every part of life. He wrote, The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. Zelos describeswanting what belongs to someone else without regard for their rights. All of our conduct and conversation stems from either the one nature or the other. Kalosreferred to that which was "morally beautiful" or noble and hence virtue was called "the good" (to kalon). James 4. By:Dave Branon(Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Faithful: Well, he seems to be a very pretty man. you may be sure of it; remember the proverb, "They say and do not." From strife and enmity; Unfortunately, there are people that creep into the church and do this among God's people in order to have their way in the church. Hess, Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles. A dictionary merely lists and defines the words of our language. It is interesting that wisdom and understanding are a lot like faith which James described in James 2:14-26, because all three are basically invisible inner qualities which show themselves or prove themselves in one's actions or behavior. Louw-Nida says it means "pertaining to being gracious and forbearing." YLT James 3:12 is a fig-tree able, my brethren, olives to make? (Ibid), Hiebert says restless (akatastatos) "characterizes the tongue as being fickle and inconstant; it cannot be trusted to stay submissively in its proper place. "Wisdom is too high for a fool: He openeth not his mouth'in the gate" (Proverbs 24:7. They know how to act; they pursue justice and evade evil. They have all come to God as sinners and have found forgiveness in the cross of Christ. "Yes," replied the officer, "but the President asked my opinion of him; he did not ask for his opinion of me." John Bunyan says such a person is "a saint abroad, but a devil at home." Doerksen says that it refers to a specialist, one possessing professional knowledge of a field (James, p.86). Gilbrant on restless evil -The tongue is an "unruly evil," literally, an evil which cannot be held back. He preached in the same church as C. H. Spurgeon over one hundred years earlier. Hiebert -Behind this "wisdom," marked by jealousy, crafty party factions, and egotistical boasting, James detects the work of the demons in seeking to corrupt the harmony and very life of the Body of Christ. 12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself, And if you scoff, you alone will bear it. When man sinned in Eden, the likeness to God was severely marred but not lost. And of course legalism will short circuit the flow of grace in our lives. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! It is not wisdom that God gives by His Spirit! Amazingly, God compares a seemingly harmless member of the human body to a ferocious beast like the Bengal: the tongue. 5:1; Ps. Wuest for where jealousy and contentiousness are, there, in that place, are restlessness and instability and every base deed. It happens when Christians utter words that fall short of the standard God expects. "A gentle tongue is a tree of life" (Proverbs 15:4). "A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth" (Proverbs 13:2). The field in which the seed is sown is the human mind and heart, immeasurably the noblest and richest soil to be found on earth. But when the Lord controls our tongue, (Ibid). KJV James 3:12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? For my part, I am of opinion, that he has, by his wicked life, caused many to stumble and fall; and will be, if God prevent not, the ruin of many more. Paul R VanGorder (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. GNT James 3:10 . A sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with constant use. atdiscoveryseries.org/q0703. It takes time, so be gracious in granting that to the other person. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. From birth to the grave this fire in our mouths burns and destroys. The Bible recognizes that communication, a central component of our lives, needs to be monitored with great care. Here James metaphoricallyequates the tongue directly with a fire. Amplified For wherever there is jealousy (envy) and contention (rivalry and selfish ambition), there will also be confusion (unrest, disharmony, rebellion) and all sorts of evil and vile practices. GNT James 3:12 , , ; . BBE James 3:14 But if you have bitter envy in your heart and the desire to get the better of others, have no pride in this, talking falsely against what is true. 1:13; Deut. When you speak, remember God is one of your listeners. 5:30; Matt. The animal has a very menacing presence, stretching 500 lbs. Morse pointed out that dictionary publishers dont invent words or decide the meanings that words will have. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Christ only, always, living in me. Is it wise to be bitterly envious of other peoples possessions, talents, or good looks? In this context the moral character is clearly evil. "By wise guidance thou shalt make thy war" (Proverbs 24:6). Well, when this man didn't balance, he began to explode with blasphemies, and the lady said, "Who in the world is that?" Tasker quips that "man has lost dominion over himself." Godly words can come only from a godly heart. It took us two days to discover the rotting potatoes hidden in a bin out of view! wisdom Exalt her, and she will promote thee " (Proverbs 4:5-9). Johnstone on demonic/devilish -But something more awful still has to be said of this wicked wisdom. On the other hand, if you sow worldly wisdom (with its "seeds" of selfishness and strife) you will reap disorder and every evil thing (conflict, disharmony, etc). CSB James 3:11 Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? ESV Study Bible on world of iniquity -The tongue represents and puts into expression all the wickedness of the world. Worthlessnessis the central notion and thus phaulosindicates the impossibility of any true gain ever coming forth. Proverbs 16:28A perverse man spreads strife, And a slanderer separates intimate friends. of maidens, to make subject to a husband, Il. Can others see Jesus in you because of the gentleness and wisdom with which you conduct your life? [123] There is a different reading at the end of the James 3:12, adopted by Griesbach, though rejected by Mill and others: houtos oute haluchon gluchu poiosai hudor, "So neither can salt water produce sweet." This reading is favored by the Syr. ESV James 3:14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. But when they are wrong, they work like a deadly venom. If we have not walked out of the house "filled with the Spirit," then clearly our "vessel" is vulnerable and if"bumped" by adverse words or deeds, is far more likely to "spill" bitter water, so to speak. NIV James 3:10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. "Violence covereth the mouth of the wicked" (Proverbs 10:11). It was tame! the keepers protest. Guzik -A woman once came to John Wesley and said she knew what her talent was and she said, I think my talent from God is to speak my mind. Wesley replied, I dont think God would mind if you buried that talent. Speaking forth everything that comes to mind is unwise, poisonous speech. NIV James 3:12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? God can use our tongues to direct others into the way of life, and to delight them in the trials of life. Thomas Watson, Jas 1:26 2Ki 19:28 Ps 32:9 39:1 Isa 37:29. By:Dave Branon(Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. 6,7,11-13). Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: The name Malachi means "my messenger.". "Death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21). Christian: He is the son of one Say-well; he dwelt in Prating Row; and is known of all that are acquainted with him, by the name of Talkative in Prating Row; and notwithstanding his fine tongue, he is but a sorry fellow. Notice how James repeats these two negative markers of ungodly, worldly wisdom -Jealousy(seepreceding note on zelos) andSelfish ambition(see preceding note oneritheia). That is to say, it is not a pose and does not deal in deception. (Ro 12:14+), Bless (present imperative- Need for the Holy Spirit)those who curse you, pray(present imperative- Need for the Holy Spirit) for those who mistreat you. Verse 1. Reprinted by permission. Henry Law, The next best thing to being wise is to live in a circle of those who are. 1:5+ - But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. It is important to note, though, that James is distinguishing between two different types of wisdom: earthly and heavenly. There is a simpler and a surer . Is it not strange that the tongue can be praising God one moment and be slandering some person the next moment, often right in the church where the tongue had been used to praise God? James is not saying so much that you are tostop speakinglies, but that you are to stopliving a lie, for your conduct which should be "good" is "evil" and this is in effect a "lie" about who you are professing to be. A Christian who makes the greatest impact on a watching world, and who furthers the cause of Christ, is one whose. That's why spreading gossip is so difficult to resist. NET James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and not hypocritical. 3:17; 1 Pet. "The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver" (Proverbs 10:20). It is coupled with sophia, wisdom, in the Septuagint (Lxx)in Deut1:13,15; 4:6. "Set a watch, 0 LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips" (Ps. In other words if you compromise the purity of wisdom in order to maintain the peace, this is not godly wisdom. Only one person showed a deeper understanding of the question. Notice how the list of traits like gentle, reasonable, etc, serve to practically undergird and ensure that this wisdom is peaceable. Spiros Zodhiates, Wisdom, the wisdom of God, is not something that is acquired by man, but something that is bestowed by God upon his elect. 1 Peter 5:5; Jas. Thomas Scott, Wisdom in ruling is justice; wisdom in speech is discretion; wisdom in conduct is prudence; wisdom in evaluation is discernment. "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man" (Matt. he is saying, in effect, "and in what way are you understanding? ", Cole makes an excellent point that "also implicit in the verse is the fact that a harvest is not accidental or serendipitous. 24). KJV James 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 24:25; 1 Ki. 5:22, 23+). Barclay says that "The true wisdom is anupokritos, without hypocrisy. Sinclair Ferguson, True wisdom is always humble. People can tame tigers, dolphins, and falcons, but God must tame our tongues by transforming our hearts. Its plans and procedure have all reference to self and to this world of the senses, though the subjects it discusses may belong to the invisible world, the world known to faith. It begs the question of each of us as followers of Christ -- am I conducting my life being primarily guided by godly wisdom which will yield "good fruits" (2 Cor 5:10+) or am I ordering my steps along a path laced with a liberal admixture of ungodly wisdom which will yield virtually no "good fruits"? 2:14; Jas. Why? A hole or opening from which a spring of water issues (James 3:11)" (Zodhiates), Ope in the Septuagint (Lxx)- Ex33:22; Jdg. Christian: Had I known him no more than you, I might perhaps have thought of him, as, at the first, you did; yea, had he received this report at their hands only that are enemies to religion, I should have thought it had been a slandera lot that often falls from bad men's mouths upon good men's names and professions; but all these things, yea, and a great many more as bad, of my own knowledge, I can prove him guilty of. (Expositor's Bible Commentary, 1976). Or, as scholar Peter Davids put it, On the one hand, [the tongue] is very religious, but, on the other, it can be most profane., If we cannot tame this unruly tongue of ours, is it destined to be a daily problem for us, always prone to speak evil? 2:18; Jas. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above- This wisdom is the "counterfeit" wisdom. By the time they saw the error of their ways, it was too late. 2:26; 2 Ki. It is easy for us to be drawn into wrong desires by the pressures of society and sometimes even by well-meaning Christians. For since there is jealousy (zelos] and strife [eris] among you."). If your words bless and encourage others, they give evidence of a compassionate heart. (Exploring James), Guzik -James points to the ultimate impossibility of such a contradiction. NAB James 3:6 The tongue is also a fire. My granddaughter Bree loved the circus, but she was afraid of the tiger. Epistemon in the Septuagint (Lxx)-Deut. That quell hostility. Psalm 12:3May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, The tongue that speaks great things (cf James 3:5+);Who have said, With our tongue we will prevail; Our lips are our own; who is lord over us?, Donald Burdick on world of iniquity- It is as though all the wickedness in the whole world were wrapped up in that little piece of flesh. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 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