Taming the Tongue
Vs. 1 Teachers Judged strictly
Vs. 2 We all make verbal mistakes. If you never say anything wrong, you never do anything wrong.
Vs. 3 We keep body in check by means of tongue
Vs. 4 Bit in horses mouth
Vs. 5 Rudder of a ship
Vs. 5,6 Shifts the metaphor to fire. When destructive fire-out of control. When constructive s.w.-under control.
Vs. 7,8 No man can tame the tongue-but don’t despair! God can-the necessity for taming it is shown in vs. 9.
Vs. 9 If we praise God, How can we curse someone like God?
Vs. 10-12 There are two kinds of mutually exclusive talk. Fresh vs. salt/fig tree vs. olives/etc. A bit, rudder or steering wheel vs. forest fire. What’s the solution? No man can do it. We all stumble.
Vs. 13 Certain deeds come from humility. Humility comes from wisdom. Wisdom comes from heaven – if any man lacks…
Vs. 17 What’s it like? Pure-first of all. No dirt.
Peace loving – no. 2. As far as it is possible – 4:4, 5:1.
Considerate – Think of others
Submissive – Don’t insist on our own way
Full of mercy-forgiving
Good fruit-natural and good
Impartial-just
Sincere-honest vs. 3 no excuse to be phony
Vs. 18 Peacemaking, not at the expense of righteousness prayer