Shalom, Mitspacha!
Justice - Sanctifying the Tongue
“A false witness does not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies does not escape.”
- Mishle (Proverbs) 19:5
“You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people. You shall not stand against the blood of your neighbour. I am YHVH.”
- Wayyiqra (Leviticus) 19:16
“But I say to you that for every idle word men speak, they shall give an account of it in the day of judgement.”
- Mattithyahu (Matthew) 12:36
YHVH's Torah places serious responsibility upon the tongue. False testimony, slander and speech that harms another person are not treated as harmless matters. Words can damage reputations, relationships and justice itself, and therefore the tongue must remain under the authority of YHVH.
Wayyiqra commands YHVH's people not to go about as slanderers among one another. The command connects destructive speech with the protection of human life and dignity, reminding us that words can contribute to harm even when no physical violence takes place.
The Renewed Covenant likewise teaches that speech reveals what is within a person. Yahusha warned that people will give an account for careless words, showing that our speech is subject to divine judgement. Sanctifying the tongue therefore means learning to speak truthfully, righteously and with self-control.
Justice requires more than refusing to lie in a courtroom. It requires us to resist gossip, false accusations, malicious rumours, exaggeration and words spoken with the intention of damaging another person. A tongue submitted to YHVH should become an instrument of truth, reconciliation, correction and encouragement rather than injustice.
The tongue can move faster than wisdom. A rumour can spread before the truth has an opportunity to be heard, and a careless accusation can damage a person's reputation long after the speaker has forgotten saying it.
Sanctifying the tongue therefore requires deliberate restraint. Before repeating something, we should consider whether it is true, necessary and righteous. Before correcting someone, we should examine whether our motive is restoration or humiliation. Before speaking in anger, we should remember that words cannot always be taken back once they have been released.
YHVH calls us to a higher standard than simply avoiding obvious lies. We are also called to avoid speech that twists the truth, spreads suspicion or treats another person's dignity carelessly. Justice requires us to guard not only what we say, but also why we say it.
May we therefore place our tongues under the authority of YHVH. May our speech be truthful without being cruel, corrective without being destructive and courageous without becoming malicious. Let our words contribute to justice rather than injustice.
Heavenly Father, YHVH, thank You for teaching us that our words matter before You. Forgive us for every time we have spoken falsely, carelessly, harshly or with the intention of harming another person.
Guard our tongues from lies, slander, gossip, malicious rumours, false accusations and destructive speech. Give us wisdom to know when to speak and when to remain silent, and teach us to examine our motives before our words leave our mouths.
Help us to speak truth with righteousness and compassion. When correction is necessary, let it lead toward restoration rather than humiliation. When someone is falsely accused, give us courage to defend truth and justice rather than joining the accusation.
Teach us to remember that every person bears the dignity You have given them. Keep us from using words to destroy reputations, relationships or peace. May our speech instead bring encouragement, wisdom, reconciliation and life.
Help us to sanctify our tongues by submitting our thoughts, motives and words to Your authority. May our speech honour Your Name and demonstrate that justice begins not only with what we do, but also with what we say.
Baruch YHVH. Emet.
“YHVH bless you and keep you;
YHVH make His face shine upon you,
and be gracious to you;
YHVH lift up His countenance upon you,
and give you peace.”
- Bemidbar (Numbers) 6:24-26
Shalom until tomorrow.