Everyone Speaking All at Once
Have you ever been in a room where everyone is talking at once, and it’s hard to concentrate on what you are saying?
In the first three chapters of Genesis, as the grand narrative of the biblical story begins, we get to eavesdrop on everyone talking. It’s important to pay attention to what is being said because it establishes the purpose and power of human language.
As we start this series on communication, there’s no better place to begin than at the beginning!
God Speaks
You will not understand the significance of your words until you realize that the first words ever recorded were the words of God. “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:3).
It’s also important to note that the first words human ears ever heard were not from human lips but from God. “And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it…’” (Genesis 1:28).
Let the wonder of this grip you: the infinite and almighty One makes himself knowable and understandable through talk. God creates human language and then reveals himself, his plan, and his purpose through human language!
God has unlocked the doors of truth to us, using words as his key. The only reason we understand anything is because he has spoken. The glory and weight of human communication have their roots in his glory and in his decision to talk with us and allow us to talk with him and others.
And because God created words, words belong to God. He has lent them to us so that we might know him and be used by him. This means that we are not the creator or owner of our speech. Every word we speak must be shaped by God’s standard and according to his design. They should echo the Great Speaker and reflect his glory.
Words belong to the Lord, not us.
Satan Speaks
It doesn’t take long for the glorious perfection of human communication to be shattered. “Now the serpent […] said to the woman, ‘Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?’” (Genesis 3:1).
What is Satan doing? Challenging the authority of God.
The roots of all human conflict in communication are found here, when we try to usurp the authority of God in our relationships. We say what we want, when and how we want. We speak as if we are in charge and have the right to use words as if we created and own them.
We speak as if we are God rather than his creatures. We use words to advance our purpose and achieve what would make us happy rather than communicating for the glory of God and the good of others.
People Speak
After the serpent speaks, people speak against one another for the first time. “The man said, ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate’” (Genesis 3:12).
How much of our communication contains passing the blame to others? In times of relational difficulty, we often are more ready to accuse than to seek solutions. Barely a day goes by without blame being on our lips or in our ears.
Our world of talk became a world of trouble in Genesis 3. Satan spoke, and because Adam and Eve listened to his words and forgot the words of their Creator, human relationships would never be the same again.
Our war of words is not with other people; it is a battle within. Will we speak in a way that images the Lord—the Great Speaker—or the Serpent, the Great Deceiver? Who will control our hearts and our words?
Genesis 3 exposes that we are more like Adam and Eve than we want to admit. But as we confess, we can embrace the glorious promise of the gospel that Paul captures in 2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Nowhere is our weakness more dramatically revealed than in our struggle with words. But we need not despair. Christ has come. He has lived, died, and risen for us! In him we find not only forgiveness but deliverance from sins of the heart that lead to sins of the tongue.
A Prayer for Today: Father God, help me to be a person that uses my words in a way that brings glory and honor to you along with care, encouragement, grace and truth to others. I know that words are an incredibly powerful tool, and I admit that I have misused my words regularly from the moment I knew how to speak. Please forgive me for my failures when it comes to my words, and help me see that my words are really words that belong to you. Help me to take my words seriously, and as I admit my weaknesses in how I speak, please give me your strength to transform my words into life-giving instruments. In Jesus name, amen.
God bless,
Paul Tripp
Discussion Prompt for Children
• Why are words important? How have you seen words tear down other people and hurt them? How have you seen words build others up and encourage them?
• How do you think God wants us to use our words?
Reflection Questions
1. When you think about how you’ve used your words in the past, what makes you embarrassed by your use of them? How have you seen your words be powerful in the lives of others around you? How has their power hurt or helped others?
2. Why do you think God places such high value on the way we utilize our words? Why is the war of words an internal battle and not necessarily about the words at all?
3. How have you used your words to bring honor, praise, and glory to God? How have your words been used by you to bring life, joy, and encouragement to others?
4. Knowing that you’ve misused your words countless times in the past, what specific weaknesses has that exposed in you? How can embracing your weaknesses bring God glory?
5. How can your words to God (prayer) as you admit your weaknesses, be transformed into loving power in your life and the lives of others around you? How does 2 Corinthians 12:9 directly apply to you when it comes to your words?