Digging Deeper James 3:2-5 with commentary

The tongue. Being silent isn't always the solution. I discovered that I could keep my mouth shut but my heart was whining and complaining. Our tongues are powerful within and without. Our words not only affect others that hear, but they affect us as well. I have used this week's verse many times in counseling and to remind myself the tongue can make or break a day. The tongue betrays our heart, and the tongue affects our heart.

James 3:2-5
For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!

Commentary:
...bits in a horse's mouth and the small rudder on a ship are examples of very small things that control large objects. The tongue, one of the smaller organs of the body, has a similar control over everything a person is and does.

...boasts of great things. Pride... is a major cause of the misuse of the tongue. In a progressive series framed by the imagery of fire, the tongue is presented in all its terrible potential. The small fire is the proud "boast" or other careless use of the tongue, and the great forest fire is the resulting conflagration. (I had to look conflagration up in the dictionary. It means: "fire, especially: a large disastrous fire"1) [ESV Study Bible, study notes pg. 2395]

In other words, our tongues may seem small and insignificant but can have a deleterious impact.

Blessings,
Diane

Diane Hunt is the Director of Addiction Recovery and Development at America's KESWICK. In addition to her Keswick responsibilities which keep her busy, she loves to read, write and teach, travel and laugh with her grandchildren. Diane has been married to her husband John over 26 years. She has 2 children, 3 grandchildren, 3 step-children, and 7 step-grandchildren.

1 www.merriam-webster.com