Verse of the day: Judges 12:5-6, The Gileadites seized the fords of the Jordan before the Ephramites arrived. And when any Ephraimite who escaped said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead would say to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” 6 then they would say to him, “Then say, ‘Shibboleth’!” And he would say, “Sibboleth,” for he could not pronounce it right. Then they would take him and kill him at the fords of the Jordan. There fell at that time forty-two thousand Ephraimites.
The Ephraimites, who apparently were not the greatest warriors, now turn to the tactic of deception to save their own lives and assimilate themselves with the people of Gilead. However, the Gileadites prove to be wise and test them in the one area that will reveal whether they were truly Gileadites or pretenders. They challenged their speech, or the way they pronounce certain words. It seems that the Ephraimites had difficulty pronouncing the “sh” sound and would pronounce it as “s”. Having them pronounce the word “Shibboleth” proved to be the Ephramites’ undoing. A lot is sometimes revealed by the little things in our lives, such as how we speak. We can often tell what part of the world someone is from by the accent they speak with. We can usually tell when someone is from a different region or different country by the dialect used. However, what I am alluding to, as Christians, is that we can usually tell a lot about whether or not a person is a true born again believer of Christ or a pretender. The speech of a person who says they believe in God may reveal whether they have a superficial understanding of who Jesus really is or if they simply believe in God, which is a start, but even the devils believe there is one God, and they tremble (James 2:19). As Christians, much is said about how much we truly honor God by the words that come out of our mouths. There are far too many whom I have heard, over the years, use the Lord’s Name in vain without giving it a second thought. Exodus 20:7 tells us that God will not hold those who use His Name in vain guiltless. Sadly, some Christians will argue that this is Old Testament. However, these same Christians will go to the Book of Psalms, and use it for comfort in times of trouble and say that it is applicable to their situation (which it is). We may not be under Old Testament Law, but we learn a lot of what the mind and heart of God is by reading it. If we read that God called it a sin to take His Name in vain in the Old Testament, it is still sin in the New Testament, and we should honor it and not misuse it as a cuss word. Psalm 8:1 tells us His Name is majestic or excellent. Psalm 111:9 tells us His Name is holy and awesome. In Matthew 6:9, when Jesus was teaching the disciples how to pray, in part of the prayer He says, “Hallowed by thy Name”. As true followers of Jesus, our speech, our words, should be used for edifying others. The words we speak should be kind words, words that encourage, and words that bring healing. Our speech should encourage others to consider who Jesus is and lead them on a path to gaining a personal relationship with Him. Colossians 4:6 clearly tells us, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” Interestingly, the Book of Ephesians, in chapter 4, mentions our speech three times in respect to grieving the Holy Spirit. Read Ephesians 4:25-32 carefully, “Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another. 26 ‘Be angry, and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” We may think that it is okay to use the same words that the world uses to communicate, but even in our speech we should be set apart from the world. Let us be a people who demonstrate that we honor the Name of God, and that we truly have a reverent fear and respect for Jesus. The way a person talks easily reveals if they are just pretending to be a follower of Christ, but for us who are followers it also reveals our hypocrisy and lack of respect for God. Let us be the kind of person that makes those who speak vile words feel uncomfortable to do that around us, not by continually pointing it out to them, but by simply having a reputation for not speaking that way. Let our speech reveal that we are the children of God in Christ Jesus.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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