Never could they have imagined that they would one day be invoked as examples of “With friends like that, who needs enemies?” Never could they have imagined the relief of Job praying for them, or why they would need prayer at all (42:10–11). Job’s “comforters” meant well while being so wrong (1:6–12). With good sounding arguments they insisted that if he could admit his wrongs (4:7–8) and learn from the God’s correction, he would find strength to laugh in the face of his problems (5:22). When his early expressions of faith eventually gave way to despair, his friends multiplied his pain by adding insult to injury. The life of Job unfolds in such troubled realism. He once rescued a young boy from the traffic of a busy New York City street with a memorable, “What’s the matter with you, kid? Don’t you want to grow up and have troubles?” Having lost his mother before he was three, he was later estranged from his father who struggled with addictions. His sense of humor was born out of personal pain. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.ġ1 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?ġ2 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.ġ7 Like one who grabs a stray dog by the ears is someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own.ġ8 Like a maniac shooting flaming arrows of deathġ9 is one who deceives their neighbor and says, “I was only joking!”Ģ0 Without wood a fire goes out without a gossip a quarrel dies down.Ģ1 As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.Ģ2 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels they go down to the inmost parts.Ģ3 Like a coating of silver dross on earthenware are fervent lips with an evil heart.Ģ4 Enemies disguise themselves with their lips, but in their hearts they harbor deceit.Ģ5 Though their speech is charming, do not believe them, for seven abominations fill their hearts.Ģ6 Their malice may be concealed by deception, but their wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.Ģ7 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.Ģ8 A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin.During the Golden Age of radio, Fred Allen (1894–1956) used comedic pessimism to bring smiles to a generation living in the shadows of economic depression and a world at war. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.ĩ With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.ġ0 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.ħ All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind,Ĩ but no human being can tame the tongue. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.Ħ The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.ĥ Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.ģ When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.Ĥ Or take ships as an example. 1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.Ģ We all stumble in many ways.
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