What Did You Just Say?

Bad language is something we can’t escape. We hear it all around us in the world and at times it can be very difficult to not fall into the trap of using it ourselves.

As James 3:2-12 admonishes 2 “For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. 3 Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. 4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.”

“But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth” (Col. 3:8).

This is something we all strive for, as we should! It is our duty as children of God and lights in the darkness of this world. But is there more to filthy language and cursing than just meets the eye?

It is commonplace in the world we live in, to the point that we start to become hardened to it and subconsciously find ourselves asking, “Is it really that big of a deal?” 

When we are trying to be separate from this world, abstaining from cursing and filthy language is something the people of the world notice right away. This has been the case all throughout history. We can see an example of this with Peter in Matt. 26:73-74, “And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, ‘Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.’ 74 Then he began to curse and swear, saying, ‘I do not know the Man!’ Immediately a rooster crowed.”  He started to swear and curse here to show that he wasn’t different from them because that is the part of his speech that gave him away and made him stand out.

Getting back to our question: “Is it really that big of a deal?” In Lev. 20:9 God Says: “For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother. His blood shall be upon him.” 

Woah! That sounds pretty serious to me. Since it is such a serious offense to God, let’s try to better understand what it means to curse. Let’s start by looking up the definition and see what clues that give us.

The English definition is vulgarity or wishing harm, an appeal or prayer for evil or misfortune to befall someone, a source or cause of evil, a scourge, or a profane word or phrase. 

The Hebrew definition expounds on this definition, however. The word used for “curse” in Lev. 20:9 is Strongs # H7043 “qālal” and means: to be light (as if of no value or worth), to despise, to treat with contempt, bring contempt or dishonor, to be of little account, or insignificant. 

As we can see in the definition, cursing involves a lot more than just saying bad words with our mouths. As we saw in my previous post on Honor, honor means to be heavy as in something valuable, whereas to curse is to make lightweight, so, therefore, it is the opposite of showing honor. 

What are ways we in a sense “curse” others by taking away their value or worth?  Some ways could be: mocking or making light of someone, gossiping, bearing false witness, or pretty much anything else that would lower someone's value to yourself or others.

Why does our human nature love to “curse” others? I think this question is pretty easy to answer when we think about it. When we belittle someone by taking away their value, it makes us feel more powerful and of greater importance in comparison. We, humans, tend to esteem people we are wanting something from and at the same time, we debase others that we deem are beneath us and have nothing to offer. 

 “For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ and say to the poor man, ‘You stand there,’ or, ‘Sit here at my footstool,’ 4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? 7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well; 9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors” (James 2:2-9).

 “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). 

When we are thinking and dwelling on filthy language, or elevating ourselves by debasing others, we are defiling ourselves from the inside out. It is manifested through our tongue as we read up above in James 3:2-12. It starts off in our hearts and will defile and permeate every part of our lives.

“As he loved cursing, so let it come to him; As he did not delight in blessing, so let it be far from him. 18 As he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, So let it enter his body like water, And like oil into his bones. 19 Let it be to him like the garment which covers him, And for a belt with which he girds himself continually” (Ps. 109:17-19).

To prevent ourselves from winding up in this state, let us guard not only our mouths but also our heart and thoughts as well—to keep ourselves from falling for the tendencies of our human nature or any of the filth of this world that surrounds and tries to creep in to defile us from the inside out. Let us remember that “...no spring yields both salt water and fresh” (James 3:12). 

“If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also” (1 John 4:20-21).