Fiery Gossip
3
Fire tests the purity of silver and gold,
but the Lord tests the heart.
4
Wrongdoers eagerly listen to gossip;
liars pay close attention to slander.
Verse 3
The hottest fire cleans gold and silver. The fire burns waste materials. This is how the gold and silver become pure. In the same way, God tests our hearts. He wants us to be free from evil thoughts and desires. See Isaiah 6:6-7 and Malachi 3:2-4.
Verse 4
Some people do not like honest words. They want to listen to evil plans. Then they copy the evil plans, and they do evil things themselves.
The furnaces used to refine gold and silver are extremely hot and remove impurities. In a similar way, God’s testing of our hearts is even more intense and purifying.
Verse 4 teaches us that rumors, gossip, and complaining are harmful. But even worse are those who listen to gossip and then spread it further.
Lies and gossip are especially damaging to wicked people because they are more likely to believe and spread them than righteous people.
Let me ask you: Do you gossip? Do you listen to gossip? Do you lie? Do you listen to lies? Do you watch news channels where political commentators spread gossip and lies? If so, you might need to change your habits and focus on listening to things that are pure, true, worthy, and lovely instead.
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