A Proverb We Saw in Real Time on Saturday
As I have said before, I very rarely write articles about recent things. I typically have articles–at least in idea or rough draft form–a few weeks in advance. However, this article is based on the recent event of an attempted assassination of former President and current Presidential candidate Donald J. Trump.
And, by the way, I would write the same article if something tragically similar had happened to Joseph R. Biden or Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
We live in a time of many words. I am grateful to live in a time where I can read anything from longer books to Instagram captions, basically whenever I want. It is wonderful to live at a point in time when I can take in information by podcast or streaming news at almost any point I desire. I love taking in information, and it is a blessing to be able to do that at a nearly constant pace.
However, in that ocean of words, people feel as if they have to be noticed. Some do that by being more eloquent and thoughtful. It might take them a little while to be noticed, but it is encouraging when someone like that, whether I agree with that person or not, gets noticed.
But, sadly, more people in our culture seem to think that the way to get noticed is just to keep talking… and talking… and talking. And the results of that are at least part of what led to the horrific moment last Saturday.
In the beginning of Proverbs 10:19, Solomon wrote, “Where words are many, transgression is not lacking.”
Now, to be honest with the text, Solomon goes on to apply that in the next line to the one who is doing the speaking and reminds the reader to restrain his lips, because the one who does that is “prudent.”
But is there not also a secondary application from that passage? If I take in words and words and words from people who continually feel as if they have to get noticed by things that are more incendiary and more hate-filled and more over-the-top, is it not true that I am more likely to be influenced to sin by that constant barrage of evil?
Certainly, the would-be assassin made his own decision. We are all responsible for making our own decisions. But if my ears (through listening) and my eyes (through reading) are taking in an ever-flowing stream of vile words, my thoughts are going to begin to be formed by those words. And, over time, I will be far more tempted to do something heinous.
The more I take in words that are sexually charged in nature, the easier it becomes to break my marital vow of oneness.
The more I take in words about how dumb authority is, the easier it becomes to defy parents or law enforcement.
The more I take in words about having things “my” way, the easier it becomes for pride to drive my thinking.
And, yes, the more I take in words that are incendiary toward a person, the more hatred I will have to fight in my heart toward that person. Given circumstances, and that hatred can turn tragic.
Let us be ever thankful to live in a time when we can learn and gain information regularly. But let us also be tremendously careful to consider what we are taking in. Each word we hear changes us slightly for the better or the worse. Let’s not allow the firehose of words we can take in lead us to be people who are influenced for wrong thinking or wrongdoing.
AUTHOR: Adam Faughn
