Musing – Are We Discipling Whenever We Speak?

Hebraic Musing – Are We Discipling Whenever We Speak?

In Leviticus 21:1 the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean for any of his people who die . . . ’”   Couldn’t God have simply told Moses to “Say to the priests . . .”  Why did He give a double command -- “speak to” and “say to”?

Remember the TV show with Art Linkletter featuring “Kids say the darnedest things”?  He was showing us that children’s minds work differently than adult’s minds.  Adults (sometimes) think before speaking and have (or should have) developed filters to protect from absorbing and repeating thoughtlessly.  Among the funniest things that children say are direct quotes overheard from the adults in their lives.

So why did the LORD give Moses a double command?  The first message is about what Moses is to speak to the priests. The second message is what the priests need to be careful about when they speak to their children, or their people, or any peoples.  We need to be extremely careful with what we say, especially when speaking to our children.  The words we say today will be the words they speak tomorrow.  And not just to our children; as Christ’s ambassadors, we set the example for all of God’s children around us who listen to us and repeat what we say – that’s the good news and the bad news!

Every time we speak to our children or any of God’s creation, we have an amazing power over what they will say and believe for the rest of their lives.  And God’s children are listening and overhearing us even when we don’t realize it.   Weren’t we commanded in red letters to “go and make disciples of all nations”?  We cannot make disciples with harsh, destructive words.

In order to teach our six children to be careful with what they say, my wife, their mother, would frequently break into a children’s song based on Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”   If I remember correctly, the song goes something like this:
♫ Watch your talk, watch your talk.  No bad words should be coming from your mouth. (2X)
Say what is good, say what is good. No bad words should be coming from your mouth. (2X) ♫

 Points to ponder

Do adults sometimes say “the darnedest things”?

Ever heard someone repeat something you said and
 then you wished you hadn’t said it? 

How might we impact the world if
when we speak
we only speak words of love, faith, and understanding?

“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Matt. 12:34   NKJV

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                                           May 30, 2017

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
“Biblical Marriage”  Weekly “Hebraic Musings”      www.InsightsByYosef.com

Note - Inspired by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein’s IFCJ publication  “Speak Responsibly”  May 8, 2017