Skip to content

Growing in Grace

"Watch your life and doctrine closely"

Menu
  • Recommended Reading
  • About
  • Writers’ Guild
  • Contact
Menu
gossip, secrets at church, talking about others, divisive in the church

A Seemingly Harmless Yet Destructive Enemy in the Church: The Whisperer

Posted on June 12, 2018 by James Williams

As an 80s kid, Ghostbusters was a big part of my childhood. As a huge fan, I would wait with anticipation to watch the cartoons each week, and playing with the action figures (I owned them all) got me through the commercials. I even had my own ‘proton pack’ with which I rescued our family from many dangerous enemies. In the first movie, the story climaxes when the enemy, Gozer, tells the Ghostbusters the next thought that enters their mind is what will destroy the world. They try to empty their minds, but one of them thinks of the ‘Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.’ Soon, a giant marshmallow man is walking the streets of New York leaving a path of destruction. While such a seemingly harmless enemy, it would have been the very cause of the end of the world had the Ghostbusters not saved the day.

Such an unlikely enemy also shows up in Proverbs 26. In this chapter, we are warned about four types of people: the fool, the sluggard, the whisperer, and the one who hates. We seem to understand the danger of being foolish, lazy, and hateful. But, a whisperer? That doesn’t seem so bad. Sounds quiet and peaceful, much like a marshmallow man.

However, here’s what Proverbs teaches about the whisperer: “For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.” (Proverbs 26:20-22).

One of the first things I built when we moved to our house was a fire pit. There’s something moving about sitting outside enjoying God’s creation and watching the mystery of fire as it consumes the logs. However, it doesn’t take an outdoorsman to understand what happens to the fire when you don’t feed it more wood: it goes out; it ceases to burn. Proverbs 26:20 teaches that when you remove the whisperer, quarreling ceases.

The whisperer quietly causes contention. Even the word ‘whisperer’ conjures up images of subtly. A shouter gets immediate attention whether good or bad, but the whisperer takes a more discreet route. He’s sly with his words. Like a rat that scrounges about at night looking for food, or the cockroach that scatters at the flick of a light switch, so the whisperer goes about in secrecy moving from one listening ear to the next. He spreads his divisive words with impeccable craftiness so as to not be noticed.

Verse 22 tells us his words go down like delicious morsels. He’s careful not to say his evil intentions explicitly, for then we would easily recognize him. Rather, he skillfully guides you with his words until you reach his conclusion on your own. He’s a master manipulator that sweetens his poison so you don’t notice the toxicity of the words you’re digesting.

Left unchecked, these toxic words create division and stir strife; they breed distrust and feed suspicion. Instead of a culture of grace and love, the whisperer creates a culture of fear and skepticism.

Heeding the Warning of Scripture

I think there are two reasons Scripture warns us about the damaging effects of the whisperer. The first reason is that we might search our own hearts: Do I play the role of the whisperer at times? Do I secretly whisper about others instead of going to them directly? Am I guilty of manipulating others by what I tell them, hoping they’ll support me or my cause? The Lord will bring to light all that is done in secret, but the good news is that we can confess and repent of our sins and God will forgive us. It’s better to humble ourselves than for the Lord to humble us.

The second reason we are warned about this whisperer is so that we’ll not fall prey to his ploys. There are whisperers in every institution, but may we heed the warning from Proverbs to keep them from reigning freely in the church. Let us not allow their sweet words to deceive us nor give them an ear. By being alert we will stop much quarreling before it starts. After all, it’s better to prevent a fire rather than allowing one to get out of control.

Whether the marshmallow man or the whisperer, a seemingly harmless enemy can cause much damage. While the marshmallow man is fictional, the whisperer, unfortunately, is not. Don’t let his harmless appearance, smooth talk, and flattering words fool you, he’s capable of much destruction.

facebookShare on Facebook
TwitterTweet

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to receive all new posts:

About Me:

My name is James Williams and I serve as one of the pastors at FBC Atlanta, TX. I love preaching, writing, reading, growing vegetables, and running. My wife, Jenny, and I have four children and are actively involved in foster care. Read More…

RSS
Facebook
Facebook
fb-share-icon
Twitter
Visit Us
Follow Me
Instagram

Check out the audio blog:

Reading Through Leviticus

Many well-meaning Bible reading plans have derailed in Leviticus. Why does Leviticus feels tedious to us?

Blog: www.growingingrace.blog

Follow me on Facebook or Twitter!

I pray this episode served you well! Please consider leaving a rating on Apple Podcasts as this will help others find the podcast, and please share on social media!

Reading Through Leviticus
Reading Through Leviticus
March 9, 2023
I’ll See You in Heaven
February 21, 2023
Doubts and Questions in the Christian Life
January 19, 2023
Driven By Awe: Missions
November 14, 2022
Driven by Awe: Faithful Endurance
September 27, 2022
Driven By Awe: Fighting Sin
September 8, 2022
Driven by Awe: Humility
August 22, 2022
Driven by Awe
August 3, 2022
God Is Everywhere, Why Should I Go To Church?
May 29, 2022
Thinning the Peaches
May 16, 2022
Search Results placeholder

Subscribe:

RSS
Facebook
Facebook
fb-share-icon
Twitter
Visit Us
Follow Me
Instagram
  • Book Reviews
  • Christian Living
  • Devotional
  • Driven by Awe
  • Foster/Adoption
  • History
  • Links
  • Martyn Lloyd-Jones
  • Poetry
  • Theology
  • Uncategorized
  • Writing

Recent Sermons: Revelation 12- The Great Accuser

https://www.growingingrace.blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Revelation-12.m4a

Psalm 91- Fear and Foolishness

https://www.growingingrace.blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Psalm-91-Fear-and-Foolishness.m4a
©2023 Growing in Grace | Built using WordPress and Responsive Blogily theme by Superb