Proverbs 26:20-22 (ESV)
20 For lack of wood the fire goes out,
and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.
21 As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
22 The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body.
When a fire runs out of wood, the flames die. In the same way, when the slanderer stops fueling a fight, the commotion ends. On the other hand, when the slanderer is acting in full force, contention is rampant. In order for a community to be at peace, the one who stirs up strife must be removed. Just as yeast spreads throughout dough, so do the manipulative words of the troublemaker. In time, the entire neighborhood feels the effects of her disruptive behavior. Those who listen to or ingest the whispered information the gossip communicates are likewise guilty of participating in harmful talk. Although it’s tempting to join in when the whisperer lowers her voice to enlighten you about another, you must resist the lure. Her material is loaded with half-truths, exaggerations, and spins she puts on information in an attempt to cast herself in a favorable light.Walk away from gossip today, removing yourself from inaccurate reports about others.