Words Don't Hurt?

Have you ever heard the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones?” Or “I’m rubber; you are glue.  Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you?” These are classic sayings, but I don’t really think they are 100% true. Words are very important and powerful. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”

I recently studied the story of Jonah and the whale. Initially I thought the main lesson I would learn from the story would be a refresher course on the fact that Jonah was given this assignment from God.  Instead of obeying, he chose to run from his calling.

In Jonah 1:2 The Lord told Jonah, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me.” Instead of obeying God, Jonah hightailed it to Joppa away from the presence of the Lord. He got on a boat and paid for a ride to Tarshish. On the way the Lord sent a great wind causing a sea storm. The mariners became afraid and immediately felt their new passenger was the cause of their sudden troubles.

All the while Jonah is silent. He is later found sleeping in the lower parts of the ship. This great man of God held his peace and would not have spoken of the circumstances if he had not been questioned by the captain of the ship. His silence could have cost the mariners their lives.

In verse 12 Jonah says to the men, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you for I know that his great tempest is because of me.” After hesitating momentarily the men realized they needed to heed these words and comply if they wanted to live.

Everyone should be pretty familiar with the story of Jonah’s plight after being thrown from the ship. He was ingested by a whale and remained in the belly of that whale for three days. It is what Jonah did next that I really want to focus on. Once he was regurgitated by the whale, he ran to Nineveh as the Lord had instructed and spoke these words, “Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

Upon hearing these words the people of Nineveh believed! Because Jonah obeyed God, his words had saved the lives of the people on the ship and in an entire city!

Can we now see how important it is to witness to people and share the gospel of Jesus Christ on a daily basis? Sometimes what you say and share with others could change their lives forever or even save their lives. In this sense his words were powerful. They helped, not hurt!

Think about it!