is one of the strongest members of the body but at the same time a very important organ. The power of the tongue is tremendous. In the book of Genesis, we have learned that just the ‘Word of the Mouth’ created the world. God said ‘Let there be light’ and there was light. Another example is from II Kings 1:9-10 “Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of a hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down. 10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.”
The tongue is like a two-edged sword. It can be both creative and destructive. To top it all off, it is very difficult to tame it. James 3:8 “But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” James in verses 3-4 says “Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.”
The tongue is like the bit in the mouth of a horse. The bit or Mullen is for communication, giving directions, and control of the horse. The powerful horses in battle and chariot races could be easily controlled by it. Just like it displays extraordinary power and influence concentrated in one small object, so it is with the tongue.
The tongue is also like the rudder in a boat. Large ships We know that large ships can carry thousands of people. Yet such a capacious and heavy vessel is directed simply by a turn of the rudder! So, it is with the tongue. The tongue is small. But its power, both for good and for evil is tremendous and is out of all proportion to its size.
The moot point is what may control the tongue rather than the other way round. Let us, therefore, stay in the spirit, speak in context and speak truthfully, be faithful witnesses, refrain from spreading tales and gossip and using vulgar language, speak kindly and courteously, and lastly avoid hurting others and don’t brag.
The tongue should be used to praise the Lord, pray to the Lord, sing praises to the Lord, and stand as a witness for the Lord Lastly, blessing rather than a curse. While a fool may ignore this, the fact remains “A fool’s tongue is long enough to cut his own throat.” –Bruce Waltke, The Book of Proverbs. After all, the fool does not understand the power of the tongue and for this reason lives under the power and control of the tongue. Just as a doctor after examining the tongue can tell about a person’s health, in the same way, the use of the tongue reflects our spiritual health.
In the end, the principle is this: what comes out of our mouths is more and more determined by what has come out of “the mouth of God.” What goes in does not matter, but what comes out. The sanctification of the tongue is the work of the Spirit and the Word.
Proverbs 25:11 “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.”
Psalm 141:3 “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips”.
Dr Ashwin Drummond