Hvad siger Bibelen om sladder?
ENGLISH DOWN UNDER
Det hebraiske ord, der i det
gamle testamente oversættes som "sladder," defineres som
"en der afslører hemmeligheder, en som går rundt som en
bagtaler eller sladrehank." En sladrende person, er en person
som har en særlig information om mennesker, og fortsætter med at
afsløre denne information for dem, der ikke bør kende til den.
Forskellen på sladder og på at dele information, kender man på den
bagvedliggende bevæggrund. En person, der sladrer, har det til
formål at bygge sig selv op ved at sætte andre i et dårligt lys,
og ophøje sig selv som mennesker, der bærer på en særlig viden.
I Romerbrevet afslører Paulus
menneskehedens syndige natur og lovløshed, og fortæller, hvordan
Gud udøste sin vrede på dem, der forkastede Hans love. Fordi de
vendte sig bort fra Guds instruktion og vejledning, overgav Han dem
til deres syndige natur. Listen af synder indeholder sladder og
bagtalelse (Romerne 1:29b-32). Fra dette afsnit ser vi, hvor alvorlig
en synd sladder er, og at den er karakteristisk for dem, der er under
Guds dom.
En anden gruppe som var (og
stadig er) kendt for at bruge tid på sladder, er enker. Paulus
advarer enker mod at have som vane at sladre, samt at leve i
lediggang. Sådanne kvinder beskrives som værende "snakkesagelige,
(de vil) blande sig i ting, der ikke kommer dem ved" (1. Tim.
5:12-13). Fordi kvinder ofte bruger megen tid i hinandens hjem, og
arbejder tæt med andre kvinder, hører de om og lægger mærke til
situationer der kan fordrejes, særligt når de gentages om og om
igen. Paulus siger, at enker får til vane at gå fra hjem til hjem,
og søger efter noget, de kan bruge tiden på. Lediggang er djævelens
værk, og Gud advarer os imod, at vi lader lediggang komme ind i
vores liv. "Den, der løber med sladder, røber hemmeligheder,
undgå samkvem med en åbenmundet" (Ordsprogene 20:19).
Kvinder er så sandelig ikke
de eneste, der er blevet kendt skyldige for at løbe med sladder.
Enhver person kan løbe med sladder ved blot at gentage noget, der er
blevet sagt i fortrolighed. Ordsprogenes Bog har en lang liste af
vers, der dækker farerne ved at sladre, og den mulige smerte der
kommer ud af dette. "Den, der ringeagter sin næste, er uden
forstand, den forstandige mand tier. Den, der løber med sladder,
røber hemmeligheder, den pålidelige skjuler sagen"
(Ordsprogene 11:12-13).
Bibelen fortæller os, at "En
svigefuld mand sår splid, bagtaleren skiller venner"
(Ordsprogene 16:28). Mange venskaber er blevet ødelagte pga. en
misforståelse der begyndte med sladder. Dem, som deltager i denne
slags adfærd gør ikke andet end at skabe problemer og vrede,
bitterhed, og smerte blandt venner. Desværre drives nogle mennesker
af dette, og leder efter muligheder for at ødelægge andre. Og når
sådanne venner konfronteres, benægter de disse beskyldninger, og
svarer med undskyldninger og rationaliserer. I stedet for at indrømme
det, de har gjort forkert, beskylder de andre, eller forsøger at få
deres synd til at se mindre alvorlig ud, end den er. "Tåbens
mund bliver hans undergang, hans læber er en snare for hans liv.
Bagtalerens ord er som lækkerbiskener, de glider helt ned i maven"
(Ordsp. 18:7-8).
Den, der vogter sin mund og
sin tunge, bevarer sit liv for trængsler (Ordsp. 21:23). Derfor må
vi vogte vores tunge og afstå fra at løbe med sladder, som er en
synd. Hvis vi overgiver vores naturlige tilbøjeligheder til Herren,
vil Han hjælpe os med at forblive retfærdige. Måtte vi alle følge
bibelens lære om at løbe med sladder, ved at vi holder munden
lukket, med mindre det er nødvendigt og rigtigt at tale.
ENGLISH
What
does the Bible say about gossip?
The
Hebrew word translated in the Old Testament as "gossip" is
defined as "one who reveals secrets, one who walks around as a
slanderer or gossip." A gossip person is a person who has
special information about people and continues to reveal this
information to those who should not know it. The difference between
gossip and sharing information is known on the underlying motive. A
person who gossipes has the purpose of building himself up by putting
others in a bad light, and exalting himself as people who carry on a
special knowledge.
In
the book of Romans, Paul reveals humanity's sinful nature and
lawlessness, and tells how God poured out His wrath on those who
rejected His laws. Because they turned away from God's instruction
and guidance, He surrendered them to their sinful nature. The list of
sins contains gossip and reproach (Romans 1: 29b-32). From this
section we see how serious a sin gossip is and that it is
characteristic of those who are under God's judgment.
Another
group that was (and still is) known for spending time on gossip is
widows. Paul warns widows against the habit of gossiping, as well as
living in vacancy. Such women are described as being "talkative,
(they will) interfere with things that do not get to them" (1
Tim. 5: 12-13). Because women often spend a lot of time in each
other's homes, and work closely with other women, they hear about and
notice situations that can be distorted, especially when they are
repeated over and over. Paul says that widows get into the habit of
going from home to home, looking for something they can spend their
time on. Idleness is the work of the devil, and God warns us against
letting idleness enter our lives. "He who runs gossip reveals
secrets, avoids intercourse with an open-minded man" (Proverbs
20:19).
Truly,
women are not the only ones to have been found guilty of running
gossip. Any person can run gossip simply by repeating something that
has been said in confidence. The Book of Proverbs has a long list of
verses covering the dangers of gossiping and the possible pain that
comes from this. "He that despiseth his neighbor is without
understanding; he that is wise is silent. He that gossipeth reveals
secrets; he that trusteth concealeth the matter" (Proverbs 11:
12-13).
The
Bible tells us that "A deceitful man causes strife, the
slanderer parteth friends" (Proverbs 16:28). Many friendships
have been destroyed due to a misunderstanding that started with
gossip. Those who engage in this kind of behavior do nothing but
create trouble and anger, bitterness, and pain among friends.
Unfortunately, some people are driven by this, and are looking for
opportunities to destroy others. And when such friends are
confronted, they deny these accusations, and respond with apologies
and rationalize. Instead of admitting what they have done wrong, they
blame others, or try to make their sin look less serious than it is.
"The mouth of fools is his downfall; his lips are the snare of
his life. The words of the slanderer are as delicacies, they slip
down into the belly" (Proverbs 18: 7-8).
He
that watcheth his mouth and his tongue preserve his life from
affliction (Prov. 21:23). Therefore, we must guard our tongue and
refrain from running with gossip, which is a sin. If we surrender our
natural inclinations to the Lord, He will help us to remain
righteous. May we all follow the Bible's teachings of running gossip
by keeping our mouths shut unless necessary and right to speak.
