Why People Gossip
Good Morning,
Luke 18:10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican."
vs. 11 “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.”
vs. 12 “I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess."
vs. 13 “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.”
vs. 14 “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
Notice two things about the story:
The proud man looking down on the common sinner prayed “with himself.” God was not a party to his disdain for another human. Also notice that the humble sinner went away just before God, not the arrogant slanderer (his slander was only between him and God).
Why do people gossip?
I cannot read a person’s mind, but here are some guesses from half a century of working with people.
1. People are proud and want to announce to the world that they are of higher quality than other people - they are forgetting Romans 3:23 & 6:23, and Isaiah 64:6.
2. People wish to have the ear of other people. They cannot accomplish anything good or for God; they have no character or wisdom that might help another, yet they wish to be the center of attention. They want to be the first to point out “juicy” information.
1 Timothy 5:13 “…but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.”
Notice the opinion of God when He says they are “speaking things they ought not.”
3. People wish to be popular and desire friends, yet they are so low that quality people will not spend time with them; therefore, they try to divide others from their friends in hopes of gaining some closeness in the “fallout.”
Proverbs 16:28 “A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.”
Proverbs 17:9 “He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.”
4. People who gossip are evil and wish to hurt other people. Do not doubt that this is true in many situations; if it were not true, God would not write so much about it. Passages documenting this wrong are many, but I have listed just a few:
Proverbs 12:18 “There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.”
Proverbs 26:22 “The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.”
Romans 1:29 “Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers.” —Notice a whisperer is lined up with a murderer.
Perhaps the most harsh statement in Scripture is in Proverbs 6:19; it says that God hates the man who sows discord among brethren.
I like the verse of the children’s song that says, “You can talk about me all that you please; I’ll talk about you down on my knees…”
Of course, there is some information that should be passed along to those in authority (parents, boss, or whomever is responsible in the situation), but to slander, gossip, or repeat a matter to people unrelated to the circumstance is evil, sinful, shameful, harmful, and as the last passage says, God hates the person who does so.
Pastor