Do you ever wonder where those interesting colloquial sayings come from? Some are a bit dated and some are new enough that I have no clue what is being referred to. When I was growing up I learned that there is, "More than one way to skin a cat". I am sure this is true, however, I have never tried and have no desire to test the theory that cat skinning holds a variety of methodologies. I did see the truth in "not looking a gift horse in the mouth", just be happy you got a free horse and do not worry about it's dental hygiene. I also like the newer phrases, such as "A few fries short of a Happy Meal". Which is an upgrade from "A few bricks shy of a full load" seeing as, these days, Happy Meals are more common than loads of bricks. Hebrew and Greek had these back in the days of Christ. "Putting a camel through the eye of a needle" is one that has generated a lot of theological conjecture while it seems to be nothing more than a colloquialism in Jesus' day. I wonder if exegetical work will be done on Happy Meals some time in the future?
The phrase that has captured my interest is, "A little birdie told me so". If you are not immediately familiar it was a sort of cute way of not revealing your sources. The question, "Where did you hear that?" could be bypassed by explaining that "A little birdie told me so" and thus keep the perpetrator of the rumor or your source of information anonymous. Though I was familiar with the phrase I was not aware that it was Biblical. It is drawn from Scripture. Ecclesiastes 10:20 reads, "Do not curse the king, even in your thought; do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom; for a bird of the air may carry your voice, and a bird in flight may tell the matter." Apparently little birds have been eavesdropping for quite some time.
Two things come to mind when I came across this verse in Ecclesiastes. First, that colloquial phrases have found their way from Scripture into the common English language. This tells me that there was a time when Scripture so permeated society that phrases like these became acceptable and common. For history buffs the battle for Dunkirk might come to mind. The British forces were on the verge of annihilation when they sent this phrase to London: "But if not." I wonder if this would have any meaning today. Back during World War II people immediately recognized this to be from Daniel 3 when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego resolved that they would not bow to the golden idol but face the fiery furnace knowing that God could save them, "but if not" they would still not bow. Word spread of the pinned troops and every available fishing boat, yacht, and pleasure cruiser, headed into the Channel. The Germans hesitated in their advance, for no apparent reason, while the armada of little boats evacuated more than 338,000 soldiers. "But if not" became a colloquial phrase for standing firm, though it has pretty much died out today. We do toss around phrases like, "first remove the speck from your own eye" from Matthew 7:3 and "Don't put your light under a basket" from Luke 11. However, we might be hard pressed to come up with the reference. My point is simply that the influence of God's Word in Western society has certainly lost ground over the years. Which means the clear teaching of the Scriptures has waned as well.
The greater point is Solomon's warning. A warning a Jewish Rabbi named Jacob provided to the assemblies of believers back in the first century. We refer to his writings as a letter from James. In 3:6 he writes, "And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell." Pretty strong words. James knows of the destructive power words can have. They are a gift from God that we can use to encourage and share the good news of Christ's offer of life and salvation. However, they are dangerous as well. Bringing reputations to ruin, damaging relationships, destroying ministries and families. Proverbs regularly warns of the use of the tongue. Reminding us that the Lord hates lies and deception.
The words of Messiah Jesus are even more convicting. Matthew 12:36, "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they give account of it in the day of judgment." We will give an account for every idle word? That should take a chunk out of eternity. The Lord's point here is to be careful what you say. Solomon tells us in Proverbs 17:28, "Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive." A variation of our own colloquial phrase, "that it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." The use of God's gift of language is not to be taken lightly.
The reason goes back to Solomon's words about the bird. What we say and do cannot be hidden forever. Speaking to the tribes from the east of the Jordan River, Moses tells them they are to help their brothers conquer the land to the west. If they do not Moses gives this warning, "But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23). Your sin will find you out. Achan found this to be true in Joshua 7 as did Ananias and his wife, Sapphira in Acts 5. Sinful words like sinful actions will find their way out into the open. A little bird will make it known and you may well pay the price, if not now, when you give the Lord an account of what words you have spoken. If a little bird can hear what is said, we better believe the Spirit of God has taken note.
I conclude with the Apostle Paul's encouragement to the Colossians, "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one"(Colossians 4:6). It is good advice, a little birdie told me so.
No comments:
Post a Comment