Word Peddling

(Job 16:2-3 KJV) I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all. {3} Shall vain words have an end? or what emboldeneth thee that thou answerest?

Poor Job! In the middle of his divine testing program, he was not only tested with a bad situation, he was also tested with three friends whom he called “miserable comforters.” It seems the only thing that humans can see, and that includes many Christians, is the negative aspect in everything. When was the last time you comforted someone in a rough situation with the same mindset that Job’s friends had? One of the keys to comforting someone in a rough situation, is to get their eyes off of the immediate situation, in other words, try to get them to focus on the situation through the eyes of God, rather than through human eyes, which always seems to elevate the situation. Once we begin to gain God’s perspective on a situation, no matter how rough it is, we will blanket the circumstances in hope.

Job had asked the question concerning the matter of vain words having an end. Many times we comfort people according to our own guilt. We know they need help but it is easier and cheaper to use words. Now what triggered this week’s article is not the fact of helping others but the subject of “vain words.” I live in North Central New Jersey and I am about 65 miles (105 km) north of Philadelphia. Sometimes before I get out of bed in the morning, I will turn on my AM radio by my bed and tune in to Michael Smerconish on WPHT, 1210 AM out of Philadelphia. The signal comes in pretty good up here. I am not picking on Michael because I don’t like him but as a representative of a group which peddles words for a living.

Now he is a morning talk show host and the station is nicknamed “The Big Talker.” I listen to his show and he brings up issues which seem to be pertinent for the Philadelphia area. Then as a normal part of the program, each half hour brings in a different subject. Each subject seems to be so important at the time, yet when the half hour is up, on to something else. I guess the importance of the previous half hour fades when a new topic is introduced. As part of this show, a person is allowed to call in and express their opinion on the air. Now with all the opinions and solutions these people bring up, the end of the matter is that nothing is ever done about anything. That is the problem, people talk, express their opinions, but nothing ever comes out of it except words. So my question is, what good is it to have an opinion and then tender a solution, when nothing is ever done? Imagine going to an emergency room bleeding profusely and a doctor comes up to you and starts explaining to you that you need stitches to stop the bleeding and save your life, but then he just continues to talk to you about it while doing nothing. How long do you think you would live while your bleeding and he’s talking?

This is what Job was bringing to the forefront about his friends, the fact that they were speaking out of ignorance and trying to make a case from that point. The same situation exists in the political realm. We all know that the two party system in this country has done nothing to improve it. Yet, when you ask people their opinion, they still continue to vote party line. People want to have change yet refuse to change. They continue the same old “vain politics” which has only one effect on this country, degeneration. Can someone actually tell me the economy is good when we owe over 6 trillion dollars to an illegal organization known as the Federal Reserve, which prints money out of thin air and then loans it into circulation. When the Government does it, it is called funding. When the Mob does it, they call it counterfeiting. Can anyone tell me with a straight face that you can borrow your way to prosperity? Our state governments have followed the Mob and used many of their ideas. Our great minds in the state capitals around our country would not control their spending, so instead of controlling it, they brought in “State Lotteries.” The term “State Lottery” is just a synonym for the legalization of the numbers rackets which was started by the Mafia. Our states have introduced “vain financial methods.”

When you buy a newspaper or a magazine and you read all the articles in there, tell me, what has been solved? Did you see a problem that you were able to help with? If so, did you? Vain words only dangle the carrot of “topic of the day” before us. When the article is finished or the TV or radio program is done, how much attention or thought is given to what we heard? We may shake our heads when we first hear something but then after that, what is the next step? Normally, we forget and go about our daily duties.

As Christians we must realize this world is full of vanity and that vanity can eat up the time the Lord gave us? Remember many years ago the Morton Downey show? I used to watch it but what happened to all the pertinent topics which were discussed on that show? They all went into space. Discussion without works is a useless venture and a waste of time. How many vain words are thrown around at business meetings or even in Church meetings resulting in nothing new under the sun. We must never become like Job’s friends and engage in vain words. The words that need to come from a Christian are words of edification. (Psa 19:14 KJV) Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Words without works are in the same category as faith without works. (James 2:26 KJV) For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. If I claim to have faith but I have no works, then I am classified as a vain man. (James 2:20 KJV) But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? It seems even a Christian can be a vain person if their works and words do not match up. Job’s friends tried to be a comfort to him but their words were empty and lacked substance, so Job classified them as vain and miserable comforters. Christians must never try to comfort someone according to the vanity of this world. They should instill in other Christians the peace and hope that Christ gives us because of His sacrifice on Calvary. If there is one thing that I could bring forth in this article is, that our words, when not backed up by works, are but an empty shell, which means our testimony is also an empty shell. So instead of us being a “Big Talker,” let us be a “Big Walker.” (5/7/04)