James 3:6-12 – Be a constant source of blessing

In these verses, we are still at the tongue and its mischief. So in verse 6, we see a very severe assessment of the evil destruction that may proceed from one’s speech. Here, we see four aspects of the intensity of the evil. Firstly, it is a fire, a very world of iniquity. It is a world filled with wrongs. Secondly, the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body. The word “defiles” simply means to corrupt. The evils that often come out of a mouth will contaminate the total person. Thirdly, the tongue sets on fire the course of our life. James gave the impact of an evil speech. It not only affects a person within but also without. It will defile a person on the inside and destroy his life on the outside. Fourthly, the tongue is set on fire by hell. The word “hell” is translated from the word “gehenna” in Greek. This is a reference to the valley of Ben-hinnom, just southwest of Jerusalem. This is the place where the pagans practiced child sacrifices (Jeremiah 32:35). It was the dumping ground for garbage, bodies of dead animals and criminals. The Lord used “gehenna” to represent the eternal, never-ending torment of hell (Matthew 25:41). James point is clear, the tongue is the devil’s tool whenever a person avails it to him for his destructive intent.

The preposition “for” connects verses 7 and 8 to what James had said previously, concerning the uncontrollable nature of the tongue. Here, James cited all categories of animals (land, flying, crawling and sea creatures) to demonstrate the untamable characteristics of the tongue. Generally, no matter how wild those creatures are, man has, to a major degree, been able to tame and domesticate them. However, man has not been able to restrain his own tongue. The destructive force of words is full of deadly poison. So from verses 9-12, James showed the inconsistency of the words that often pour forth from one’s mouth. He showed how duplicitous they could be and asserted that they were incongruent with the believers. He argued that even in the world of nature (verses 11-12), such duplicity are not even found. And for a believer to use the tongue in such a manner is a compromise on the conviction and confession. It is out of character with a Christian. He then progressed to show how inconsistent a person could be, in regards to the use of his tongue. On the one hand, he could use it to bless the Lord and Father. On the other hand, he would use the same tongue to curse men that have been made in God’s image. He was adamant that these ought not to be so. James asked two questions in verses 11-12, and made a statement to prove why these ought not to be so. Firstly, does a fountain send out, from its opening, both fresh and bitter water? The obvious answer is no. Secondly, can a fig tree produce olives or a vine produce figs? Again, the obvious answer is no. Thirdly, in the statement he said that neither can salt water yield fresh water.

The point of James is this: a good tree does not produce bad fruits and vice versa. Fresh water source will produce fresh water constantly. It does not produce fresh water one day and bitter water another. Only people who are consistent can be a constant blessing. And every one of us is expected to be a source of blessings consistently. We should not be a source of blessings at one time and then a source of curses at another. So what sort of a fountain would we rather be? Remember, consistency matters! It is the gauge of our reliability.