Be sure of the flavor of your words when you speak…You might have to eat them!

Scripture Read: Judges 8:13-17 Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres. And he captured a youth from Succoth and questioned him. Then the youth wrote down for him the princes of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men. He came to the men of Succoth and said, “Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, concerning whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are weary?’ ” He took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and he disciplined the men of Succoth with them. He tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.

Application: The unmeasured words we speak can come back to haunt us! When Gideon was in pursuit of the enemy he asked his brethren to simply help with food. He did not ask for more fighting men. 

Yet, because Gideon did not possess the victory in his hands already, according to their flawed judgment they spoke haughtily and mocked Gideon. It is sad enough that their spirit of cowardice was in control, but they complicated things by spewing out unmeasured words…never considering how distasteful those words would be going back down! Gideon was focused, yet firm. He did not take the time right then to discipline these two groups of men. He stayed intently on the task God had given him, seeking his strength from on high, especially because even his brethren had denied him any help. However, when the goal was accomplished he returned to deal with those that had been filled with pride. The men of Succoth and Penuel were going to enjoy a new peace that was paid for by Gideon and his 300, not offering even food for help.  Adding injury to insult they even mocked him! When we are safe and full of ourselves, that is a great time to check our words. 

We need to make sure when we speak the words we share are measured and the possible response has been weighed. Notice, even Gideon’s response is measured. He does not just go into each city and destroy everyone. He finds out the leaders’ identities, because they are the one’s responsible. The leaders of Succoth suffer a very painful lesson, their bodies are dragged over thorns. It appears though that their flesh and pride is torn, but their lives are spared. The men of Penuel on the other hand are different. Why? Scripture does not state; several explanations could be given. Perhaps these men spoke even more harshly; or when Gideon began tearing down the tower they had, maybe they tried to stop him by force and so he killed them. Another reason might be that the tower was most likely dedicated to a false god and Gideon was quite firm against idolatry by this time. Whatever the reason, one outcome in both situations was accomplished. No one would have any doubt that Gideon would not tolerate betrayal and would firmly deal with any that chose to stand against God. We are all human and capable of bad judgment, so it is important that we do not complicate our mistakes with haughty attitudes and words. No one knows what Gideon would have done if the men of these cities had just pleaded cowardice and been humble. We allow the Holy Spirit the most room to lead someone to be merciful to us when we have used bad judgment, yet remained humble. Measure your Words, the smaller they are, the easier they are to swallow if the need arises!     

Meditation Questions: Have you ever seen someone speak haughtily and then have to repent? How hard was it on them? Why? Have you ever done that? What did you learn? How can we guard our words? How can the Scriptures help? Can They? How? When dealing with a difficult issue, have you ever tried writing it out first to see how it will sound? Have you ever been spoken to harshly? What did it make you feel? How many words did God say He would hold us accountable for? Why is it that your words can reap more than what they sow?