<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd so it was, after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, \u2018My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has’\u201d (Job 42:7).<\/p>\n
JOB\u2019S FRIENDS, WHO HAD PRESUMED TO SPEAK ON GOD\u2019S BEHALF, FOUND THEMSELVES THE OBJECT OF GOD\u2019S WRATH BECAUSE, AS HE SAID, \u201cYOU HAVE NOT SPOKEN OF ME WHAT IS RIGHT.\u201d Speech is among the highest of our gifts as God\u2019s creatures, and it is a most serious thing to employ this gift in speaking about the Creator Himself. The gravity of saying anything untrue about God is such that it would be far better to remain silent than to speak in error. And yet, we often speak with shocking carelessness about God, casually tossing around opinions about Him as if it were no more than a game. We speak of our Creator offhandedly.<\/p>\n
As a writer, I write these very pages with an almost paralyzing sense of responsibility, a fear of misleading any reader. Solomon\u2019s reminder is never very far away from my consciousness: \u201cIn the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise\u201d (Proverbs 10:19). And then there is James\u2019s admonition: \u201cSo then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak . . .\u201d (James 1:19). The subject of God, of all the subjects in the world, is the one that deserves the greatest care and the greatest reverence from one who speaks or writes.<\/p>\n
Computer programmers talk about \u201cvalidating the input.\u201d Since the quality of a program\u2019s output depends on the accuracy of the input (garbage in, garbage out), it\u2019s always wise to validate<\/em> the input, checking to make sure the information is as accurate as it was first thought to be. When the computer is our brain and the subject is God, can we not see how crucial it is to make sure our concepts are correct before we \u201coutput\u201d them to others?<\/p>\n Just as it is possible for us to understand truth about God, it is possible for us to speak truth about Him. But we must be careful. Words about God have the power to uplift and to strengthen. But those words must be \u201cacceptable words . . . words of truth\u201d (Ecclesiastes 12:10). Words of truth.<\/em> Nothing less must be our goal.<\/p>\n Forge thy tongue on an anvil of truth Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n
And what flies up, though it be but a spark,
Shall have weight.
(Pindar)<\/p>\n