Watch Your Mouth: Bragging
February 9, 2025Pastor Josh Starnes presented today's message, "Watch Your Mouth: Bragging." A video of today's message is here on YouTube.
Proverbs 18:21, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits."
This verse bookended this "Watch Your Mouth" series, having been referenced in the first session and again today in the last session. Let's look at it some more...
I found an article titled What does Proverbs 18:21 really mean? It was actually the opening paragraphs that got my attention:
In Proverbs chapter 18, we find a scene set in a bustling marketplace in ancient Jerusalem. The marketplace is filled with merchants selling their wares, customers haggling over prices, and the aroma of various spices and foods wafting through the air. Among the crowd, we see a group of people gathered around a wise elder known for his knowledge of scripture and his ability to impart wisdom.
The elder, named Elihu, is surrounded by a diverse group of individuals seeking his counsel. There is a young man named David, who is struggling with a decision about his future, a middle-aged woman named Sarah, who is dealing with a difficult family situation, and a wealthy merchant named Isaac, who is pondering the meaning of true success. Each person has come to Elihu seeking guidance and insight into their respective dilemmas.
As the sun begins to set over the marketplace, Elihu begins to speak, his voice carrying wisdom and authority. He quotes Proverbs 18:21, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit,” reminding his listeners of the importance of their words and the impact they can have on their lives and the lives of others. The scene is filled with a sense of reverence and anticipation as Elihu imparts his wisdom, guiding those around him towards a path of understanding and enlightenment.
Think of what the tongue has done Biblically; here are two biggies. God's tongue spoke the universe into existence, and life with it. The tongue brings forth words, and John described Jesus as the Word. The word tongue is used over 100 times in the Old Testament.
The tongue is also described as a "tiny spark that can set a forest ablaze" (James 3:5).
Here's a "hold your tongue" message from Proverbs 17:28, "Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.
One last thing about "tongue." Tongue is often used as a metonymy, a part of speech where one word stands in for another word in a closely related manner. For example, "the White House issued a statement." White House stands in for the President. Tongue does a lot of this standing in. It can stand for languages (what tongue does he speak?). A tongue crushes a spirit. Tongue stands in for something that could physically crush something else. Taming of the tongue, where tongue stands in for some creature that needs taming (see James 3:8).
Even more intriguing is the reference to "life and death." This is a theme throughout scripture, and throughout the Torah. God created everything, including life. God wants you to focus on life and not what happens in an afterlife. Separations are key themes, too. In this case, the important differences between being life-focused versus death-focused (like the Egyptians). One perhaps surprising place this comes in is with the kosher laws. These often confuse people: why this and not that, etc.? However, if you think of the various foods as life-focused or death-focused, things become clearer. Animals that kill are forbidden. Critters that scavenge the ground or sea floor for results of death are forbidden. Those animals that don't kill are kosher. Also, blurring boundaries (toying with separations) is not kosher. For example, if you can't tell it's a bird or an insect (e.g. flying creatures with lots of legs), the distinction is blurred and it is not kosher.
Bonus
Valentines Day
Or is it Valentine's Day, or Saint Valentine's Day, or Feast of Saint Valentine?
The name in the title seems most appropriate given the modern understanding of the holiday. It's mostly about giving gifts, i.e. Valentines, to your significant other, i.e. your Valentine. The other three title options would suggest that the day belongs to someone named Valentine. And indeed, that's how it all began. In several ways...
Different churches celebrate different versions of the story on different dates. For instance, the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates on July 6th or July 30th.
Confusion enters the picture as there were a number of Christian martyrs named Valentine. There's a Valentine of Rome and a Valentine of Terni. There's a third Valentine, mentioned in early martyr stories, of which little is known.
And then there are some other secular versions. In Norfolk, England, a guy named Jack Valentine knocks on doors and leaves candy and gifts for the children.
There's also a Spring version of Saint Valentine's Day where the saint is about good health, springtime, and patron saint of beekeepers. Supposedly, birds propose to each other on this day.
Wikipedia: Valentine's Day.
What about the candy and chocolate? What about the Israelites? Did they have candy and/or chocolate? Did they use them romantically? I actually didn't have much luck finding info like this. I was reminded of the first mention of love in the sense of a couple: Isaac and Rebecca. See Genesis 24:67, "Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death."
As for the candy, there is evidence of ancient near east candy, particularly Egyptian. Around 2000 BCE, Egypt had Tigernut Balls (balls of dates, walnuts, almonds, and honey). The Greeks were using honey to make candied fruits, etc.
Bread, of course, was a staple to the ancient Israelites. On occasion, fruit juice was used instead of water to sweeten the bread along with fennel and/or cumin.
Raisin Cakes are mentioned in Hosea. In the Song of Solomon, raisin cakes are mentioned in a more intimate setting, more of a Valentine-like situation. In Samuel, when David brought the Ark of the Covenant, he also brought raisin cakes for the celebration.
In all these cases, something that might be generally thought of as normal, if not routine, is turned into something special on an occasion.
Even my flag hobby is playing in to Valentines Day with some "Revolutionary Love Valentine's Day Cards." See JF2.com/flags/#13.
