NO WOOD, NO FIRE
PROVERBS 26:20 NKJV
20 Where there is no wood, the fire goes out;
And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.
When you read the first part of our proverb for today, you can be tempted to go, no duh! It does not take a forest ranger to figure out that without wood, a fire will not burn.
But the next part of this proverb takes away the no duh with a profound truth. Where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.
The word talebearer is better rendered as a gossip or slanderer. A literal translation is a whisperer.
So, where there is no gossiping, slandering, or whispering, strife stops. We can especially see this in an office setting. When there are gossips and slanderers, something is always being stirred up.
And it's amazing that when you get rid of the gossiping, the strife and trouble goes away.
Years ago, I was in my office after a Wednesday night service. Some of the staff were in an office down the hall. They most likely did not know I was nearby.
I heard them talking in normal tones, and then suddenly, their voices went to whispers. As soon as I heard the whispers, I knew trouble was brewing.
Sure enough, not long after that, strife broke out in the staff.
The Lord helped us, we were able to remove the chief whisperer, and things became much more peaceful.
Since that time, we have become much more stringent in eradicating gossip and slander on the staff. And we have been blessed with a peaceful staff culture. We are not perfect, but we take pains to take out the wood. No wood, no fire.
PRAYER:
Lord, may my words be used to heal, not hurt. I want to put out fires, not start them.