Expositional Study of James
A SUBJECT IN EVERYBODY’S MOUTH
Scripture Reading: James 3:1-12 (KJV)
We are of course, speaking of the tongue. It is noteworthy that within the restricted space of his brief letter, James has so much to say on the subject. In addition to the above Scripture reading, when he deals with the matter at some length, James brings it up five times (1:19, 26; 2:12; 4:11; 5:12). It seems evident that what Matthew Henry calls "tongue-sins" were rather prevalent among these Christians. Would James find them any less common if he were to visit us today?
There are few sins that more frequently, or more glaringly, disfigure the fair figure of Christians in this age. Therefore, let us give earnest heed to the exhortations of this solemn paragraph.
In order to drive home his teaching on this subject, James offers no less than seven different pictures or illustrations of the tongue. These we will herein briefly consider; the first two will show us:
How the tongue guides life
The "bit" (v 3) is our first figure. Though a little instrument, it can render a helpful service. The young horse, strong and good to look at; champing and chafing at restriction; restive and restless; longing to be on the go – caring not much where, as long as he is moving; not actually capable of knowing the right, or best way to go. The "bit" regulates all that, directing his fine energies into wise and useful channels. What a picture this is of a young life today – every phrase of our description has its counterpart in their make-up and outlook. Just a little "bit" of the spoken word can set the direction of a young life toward either good or evil – just a touch may "turn about their whole body." A preacher was asked, "Will you take a Sunday morning young people's class?" That was really the last thing he wanted, because at that time he had little interest in teaching. However, in his heart of hearts he had the profoundest admiration and deepest respect and affection for the person who asked him; and so he agreed. That night the preacher prayed that God would give him a love for "young people." He always gave God credit for answering his prayer, because from that moment he began a work among young people that filled his heart with joy and excitement.
Just a word, just a "bit" – but it set the direction of his life. Dr. Harrison provides this instance: Some years ago a young businessman came to see me. I knew him to be a keenly focused and serious young man whose life seemed destined to follow his father in the family business. As he was leaving my study I said, "When are you going to start preaching the gospel?" He smiled at the idea, and later told me that at that particular time, a life in the ministry had never occurred to him. Nevertheless, though neither of us at the time knew it, that little word was a "bit" to that young man. He entered university a year later, finished his degree in Bible, and has from that time faithfully preached the Gospel of Christ. No doubt such instances could be multiplied. What a "bit" the tongue can be, to guide a young life.
The "helm" (v 4) is another illustration of the tongue's influence. "The ships...so great" are probably not unlike the lives of older folks battling across life's ocean, often "driven of fierce winds," i.e., the storms and tempests of trouble, wave after wave of misfortune breaking over them, not knowing where to find the harbor and haven of peace. In such circumstances, a word of good cheer, of sincere comfort, of simple testimony, has often been as a "helm" to guide the troubled soul to the "great calm" of the Savior's blessing.
Truly, the tongue has a great ministry of guidance to exercise. But, for all that, we are warned in the first verse of our passage, "be not many masters" – not all rush to be teachers as if it were something easy to accomplish and of little responsibility. On the contrary, those who take up the position of teacher, take on themselves the heavier burden, and will "receive the greater judgment." Besides, we are all prone to fall; and if a teacher fall, he is in danger of causing the taught to "offend" – with all the serious implications of such a situation, as outlined in Matthew 18:6f. Nowhere is the peril of failure more likely than in the realm of the tongue; and in no other sphere is strength of character and advancement in Christian love so evident. "If any man" – teacher or anyone else is victorious in this, he is indeed "a perfect man," a strong mature Christian, gloriously qualified to act the "bit" to younger lives, and the "helm" to those that are further on. But now let us consider the three-illustrations that show -
How the tongue harms life
The "fire" (v 5) comes first. What devastation it can work: "how great a forest a little fire kindleth." Only a spark, just a match, and very quickly a whole forest may be ablaze. The tongue can be equally destructive. It may degenerate into "a world of iniquity" – the sum total of unrighteousness. There is no divine law that in spirit, if not in actual letter, it cannot break – this cannot be said of the hand, the eye, nor any other member but the tongue.
Test that statement by the Ten Commandments – the tongue can break the spirit of every one of the Ten. "It defileth the whole body" – even as fire defiles with its smoke. It fires "the wheel of nature" (see margin); that is, the whole round of life. What an indictment – the whole of wickedness in the whole of man, for the whole of life. Yes, "how great a forest." Certainly this is not an exaggeration to anyone who has ever seen how a hot, burning, word has stated a conflagration in some individual, or in some community. Truly, the tongue can be a veritable fire.
The "beast" (v 7) comes next. What a beast the tongue can be – in more senses than one. This is an interesting account of the tameableness of creation. Of course, as any circus will demonstrate, beasts can be tamed. Also, birds have been schooled by music and other ways; as well as fish. Pliny was quoted as writing how one of the Roman emperors had particular fishponds in which fish appeared when they were called by their special names. Occasionally, one reads about dolphins trained to do different things. But take solemn note, "the tongue can no man tame" – so wild a beast it can be. We will get this wrong unless we remember to read that sentence with emphasis on the word "man;" no man can tame it, but there is Someone Who can. No doubt many of us have witnessed a blaspheming tongue so tamed by Him so as to gladly accustom itself to speak the praises of God; a back-biting, scandal-mongering, tongue has been so tamed that it has eschewed the expression of any but the kindest sentiments; a lying tongue has been so tamed that it has earned a widespread reputation for speaking only the truth; a passionate tongue, used to explode in uncontrolled rage, has been so tamed as to utter kind and gentle words. Yes, these miracles of grace have been wrought on this "little member" – but without that taming touch of God, what a beast it can be.
The "poison" (v 8) comes last in this lamentable series. The deadly drug does not need to be taken in large doses – a drop or two will suffice; and the tongue does not need to distil long speeches, it has but to drop a word or two, and the mischief is set afoot. Thus, a peace can be ruined; thus, a reputation can be blackened; thus, a friendship can be embittered; thus, a mind can be poisoned; thus, a life can be blasted. Let this rhyme point the same moral:
I lost a little word, somewhere along the way
It was a naughty word I had not meant to say.
But, then, it was not really lost – when from my lips it flew.
My little friend picked it up, and now he says it, too.
(William Harrison)
In such small, unconsidered ways, as well as in the more designedly deliberate fashion, minds and lives are poisoned by a word, by the tongue. In the face of all that has been said thus far, how needful is the prayer of Psalm 114:13, "Keep the door of my lips" – a request that might well become one of our regular morning petitions. Yet, we realize that the trouble is really lower down.
Consider the story of Simon Magus, one of the "converts" of Phillips great mission in Samaria – a genuine convert, seeing that it is said that he "believed...and...was baptized." Anyhow, he subsequently committed a grievous sin of the tongue; for when Peter and John came down from Jerusalem and laid their hands on the converts, there were such remarkable results of the Holy Spirit that Simon actually offered to buy the secret. The point we stress here is that Peter did not blame the tongue, but went to the root of the matter and said, "Thy heart is not right in the sight of God" (Acts 8:21). It is in vain to attempt to tame the tongue until the heart has been subdued.
Therefore, it is in the heart that the healing work must be done – the heart that is the peculiar province of the Holy Spirit indwelling the Christian; regulating the tongue, which is the immediate interest of the Holy Spirit infilling the Christian. It is not without deep significance that when He was outpoured at Pentecost, the visible sign of His arrival was the fiery tongues; neither is it to be ignored that the first effect on the apostles was that "they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues" (Acts 2:4). It is likely that all of us have trouble knowing how to begin speaking properly with the tongue – and this is apparently a problem that the Holy Spirit is particularly concerned to tackle for us. If we seek day by day to be filled with the Spirit, He will assume the control of our tongue. This is good news when we come to understand how the tongue harms life. But now let us turn to James' last two pictures, and note their suggestion of -
How the tongue blesses life
The "fountain" (v 11) is one. What blessed refreshment the tongue can bring to a heart that is weary – what tonic-water a word can be. Of course, the absurd thing is that an uncontrolled tongue can be this at one time, and the opposite at another – alternating "salt water and fresh" as verse 12 says. No ordinary fountain could exhibit such contrariness; and even so, as Matthew Henry says, "True religion will not admit of contradictions." Let us pray that there may be no inconsistency of tongue about us, but that this fountain's water may be uniformly "sweet." If it has been otherwise, let us plead that the "bitter" be made sweet. Marah's bitter waters "were made sweet" by Moses (Ex. 15:23-27) because "the Lord shewed him a tree;" and it will be the beneficent efficacy of that other Tree of Acts 10:39 and 1 Peter 2:24 that the Holy Spirit will use to sweeten all our flow of speech. Of our all-too-frequent inconsistencies of tongue the passage says, "My brethren, these things ought not so to be," and over every "ought not" of Scripture we may in triumphant faith, write, "need not;" and over that we may also put "shall not." There is never any need to do what we ought not to do – because, as we have seen, the Holy Spirit is always ready to enable us to enter into the releasing and enabling power of the Cross. So, as Romans 6:14 promises, "Sin shall not have dominion over you" – ought not, need not, and therefore shall not. And this applies to all tongue-sin.
The "tree" (v 12) is the concluding illustration. What blessed nourishment the tongue can bring to a life that is weak. The old word of Proverbs 15:4 is still true, that "a wholesome tongue is a tree of life;" and many times it has been verified – somebody has said the word that was food to the soul. In our turn, may we all be "trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified" as in Isaiah 61:3, and, to that end may we continually "take root downward" – the secret root-work of the quite time with God; and "bear fruit upward" – the open life before our fellow-men, as we read in Isaiah 37:31. One English poet speaks of "tongues in trees" – here are trees in tongues.
When we feel ill and out-of-sorts and go to see a doctor, one thing he usually does is look at the tongue. What an index it is of the health – both physical and spiritual. "If a man offend not in word," if his tongue is healthy, "the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body," as our second verse says.
We pray that the Holy Spirit may be given such control in us that He may be as "the Governor" of verse 4 – doing in us and for us whatsoever He "listeth," so that our tongue may be continually employed in "blessing" God, and in blessing, not "cursing," man.
A thorough-going Christian may be recognized by his tongue. Consider Peter's giving himself away, "Surely thou also art one of them: for thy speech betray thee" (Matt. 26:73). The Master's disciples, with the one exception of Judas Iscariot, were Galileans; and it was Peter's accent that betrayed him. He was recognized as one of Jesus' disciples by the test of the tongue. In his hour of failure, poor Peter resented it; but we may gladly welcome it by the manner of our speech; and by the use of our tongue, we betray ourselves to the world as one of His. We close this lesson with a little poem:
O that it might be said of me,
Surely thy speech betrayeth thee,
Thou hast been with Jesus of Galilee,
With Jesus of Galilee.
(William Harrison)
