Proverbs 11:13
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A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.
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If the least rumor or event can be obtained about our president's personal life or family, it is spread far and wide and discussed to death. The same is true for business leaders, sports figures, and celebrities. The more negative the facts, that much more exciting to spread! This fascination with secrets is a sin and proves the perversity of our nation.
Family members, neighbors, office workers, and even some church members love to spread news of negative events in the lives of others. They say, "Did you know they are divorced? Have you heard the latest about him? Can you believe she did that?" And off go wicked lips and ears to discuss the private details of others that should be concealed.
This sin is an abomination to God, and He hates it. His holy heart knows that spreading damaging news about others is to rape their reputations. The Bible does not know the word gossip; it uses talebearer, tattlers, whisperer, and backbiter. Solomon teaches here that good men with faithful spirits will not repeat private news they learn about others.
Talebearing is telling private matters to gratify malice or idle curiosity. Tattling is talebearing. Whispering is quiet or secret talebearing. Backbiting includes talebearing behind a person's back. God condemns these sins (Lev 19:16; Rom 1:29-30; I Tim 5:13).
These four Bible terms all involve telling true facts about others that need not be told. That the information is true only means it is not slander, which is spreading lies about others. Talebearers will quickly justify themselves by saying they are only telling facts - but that is the very definition of talebearing, tattling, whispering, and backbiting.
That the secrets are true does not mitigate the sin at all. The Lord knows there are only two reasons you are telling them - malicious hatred or idle curiosity. You are damaging another person's reputation, and there is no godly reason for you to do it.
Physical rape is a horrible crime, and it should be punished severely. But talebearing may be worse, in that it can have greater consequences. Instead of hurting a person's body for a few minutes or emotional state for a while, it can leave permanent scars on a person's reputation and character, the much more valuable parts of a person. Consider it.
The heart of man is desperately wicked and will do anything it can to defame or injure others (Jer 17:9; Rom 3:13-18). By nature all men are hateful and hating one another (Titus 3:3). And one of the easiest ways to hurt another's reputation is to spread private information that does not need to be told. So it is this sin that our proverb condemns.
Faithful men will hide private information they happen to learn. They will conceal such things; they will not repeat them to anyone. They will do all they can to protect the reputations of others, no matter what their personal feelings about the person might be.
This sin used to be condemned in our nation. Many readers will remember rules and punishment for tattling at home and school. But now it is a forgotten sin in our perverse generation. Instead of punishment, rewards are given for those who can obtain the most salacious reports or revealing photographs of persons at all levels of society.
Guard your tongue, dear reader. Do not let it spread secrets that should be concealed. It does not matter one whit whether the information is true or not. And if someone else is backbiting, condemn him with an angry countenance or rebuke (25:23; I Thess 5:14).
How important is it to avoid this sin? Our proverb teaches that faithful men will not do it. And Psalm 15:3 teaches that a mark of eternal life is not doing it. Since God hates it and mentions it often in Scripture, all fathers must include it in their training (Eph 6:4).
Our Lord Jesus is Faithful and True (Rev 19:11). He forgets our sins forever (Heb 8:12). And He would never reveal them, for it is His glory to cover transgressions (25:2). And it should be our pleasure to love others with the same compassion (10:12; 17:9; I Pet 4:8).
What God called talebearing, we used to call tattling or gossip. Now it is investigative reporting. Now it is entertainment. Newspapers, television, tabloids, and Internet sites feed on it. People read it with glee; they tingle with curiosity hearing it; they beg for more details, especially sexual ones; they cannot wait to repeat it to others.
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