Page 35 - book_james

A horse has a will, and the ship does not. The horse is a type of the flesh and the ship of
circumstances. The tongue, like the bit and the rudder, can change both. This is the power
of the tongue. The horse can be changed rapidly to go in another direction, and the ship
changes course slowly.
The body, though rebellious, can be changed quickly to go in another direction, but
circumstances need time. The ships of the ancient world were very large (often the size of
a football field) and carried many people and much cargo (Acts 27: 37‐38). The direction
could be changed, but time was needed.

B. The Tongue Can Produce Great Destruction

Jas 3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how
great a matter a little fire kindleth!

Even so (outos: in this manner), the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. .
. .

A horse’s bit is small compared to the size of its body; a ships rudder is small compared to
the entire ship. The human tongue is small in comparison to the great things it boasts of.
The results are out of proportion to the size of the agent producing them.

. . . Behold, how great a matter (how much wood) a little (small) fire kindleth.

The contrast between the small and great continues. A small match or even a spark can
ignite an entire forest into a huge fire. The tongue can unleash uncontrollable forces into
the world and destroy whole areas of the society.

Jas 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members,
that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on
fire of hell.

And the tongue is a fire, a world (kosmos) of iniquity . . .
“The tongue is a fire” is an analogy for the destructive force of the tongue (Psalm 57:4;
Proverbs 16:26, 26:18‐21). In this verse, the tongue is the kindling, and the “world of
iniquity” is the forest fire that can result. We do not need the devil to stir up a whole world
of iniquity; our tongues can do it instead.

. . . so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on
fire the course (cycle of existence) of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

What is in the invisible world will control the visible. The tongue can change the whole cycle
of existence around us. Words, which cannot be seen, can devastate what can be seen.
Words spoken in secret can have a devastating effect for months and even years. Words
seem to disappear into the unseen world, but they can affect people’s emotions, shape
whole nations, and even affect entire generations.