The truth about gossip
The Bible says in Leviticus 19:16, "You shall not be a gossipmonger among your people, you shall not stand aside while your fellow's blood is shed..."
You might be asking, what is a gossipmonger? The dictionary states it as, a person who enjoys talking about other people's private lives; a person who habitually passes on confidential information or spreads rumors. Basically here we see the Bible doesn't like ugly and not fond of pretty, and in this case it's called gossip. The only way it is not considered gossip is when you're protecting someone from harm and there's an urgency to warn them or save them from something that could negatively impact their life. In that case, you're obligated to say something.
What does gossip damage? When someone gossips and their fellow brother or sister stands to hear it, that causes bloodshed to the person that's being spoken about. The reason being is that when someone spreads gossip, it affects the listener they are speaking to because they are sowing damaging seeds into their conscious gates - their imagination gate, ear gates, heart gate, and mouth gate are persuasively influenced to form an opinion which can cause even more venom to be spread. Reasin why is if one hears it, and that person spreads it to another, and that person spreads it to another etc, there goes a brush fire spinning out of control into a wildfire. The repercussions can be disastrous especially if the information that's spread becomes twisted, exaggerated and distorted.
Remember what happened to Miriam, Moses's sister when she spoke negatively about her brother's wife behind his back? She caugut leprosy (Tzara'at in Hebrew) and was cancelled from the camp for a period of time.
Is this leprosy what ae think it is? No. When we read our Bibles in English, and not the original Hebrew, the meanimg of the word is not emtirely understood. This skin condition was a spiritual disease that required isolation from everyone and repentance before fully being healed. That was the law period. In other words, Miriam got this rare disease because of gossip and The Father above put her on a timeout where she had to reflect on what she did and repent before being restored.
What did Jesus say about gossip and idle words? Jesus said,"but I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall account for it in the day of judgment. For by your words, you shall be justified, and by your words, you shall be condemned"(Matthew 12:37).
What does this all teach us? When someone spreads evil speech, there are consequences one will have to give an account for. Although it is not always apparent to most because we live in a society where gossip is blatantly running rampant everywhere and we don't see the effects, please do not be deceived. They can cause trouble, destroy relationships, and lead to physical and mental health issues, such as sickness, pain, isolation, depression, being canceled, and in worse scenarios, it can destroy someone financially, which can also affect their families.
Do you have an ought with someone in your heart? Be honest with yourself. Rather than blasting them publicly or staying silently angry, go to your fellow privately, and speak with them, and if needed correct them in love. I employ you to not bear sin by being a participant of the gossip by either ignoring the matter, holding a grudge or taking revenge. Proverbs wisely declares, "Whoever guards his mouth and tongue guards his soul from troubles" (Proverbs 21:23).
Now I ask you, are you gossiping? Here's five questions to see if you've been gossiping.
Are you going around sharing other people's business and private lives by calling and texting people to be the one to share the latest news?
Are you deliberately spreading evil speech with a silent vendetta to bring someone down?
Are you in need of validation and acceptance from others thereby telling the whole world who hurt you?
Are you posting on social media and group threads about someone for the come up, to gain likes and comments for popularity sake?
Have you spread private information about someone that could have harmed their finances, reputation or livelihood?
Take a moment to truly pause and reflect on these questions. If you have said yes to any of these, take the first step and humble yourself. Repent, ask for forgiveness and do what you can to make things right. It is not our job to retaliate, embarrass nor slander others. The Bible commands around 8 to 10 times, "To love your neighbor as yourself", not including the other 50 variations of other texts. So let's take stock of our motives and thoughts before we spread anything about anyone.
With that being said,"Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart Grace to the hearers." (Ephesians 4:29)