Have you ever said or heard someone say, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never harm me?” Sure you have. The intent behind this expression was noble in that it directed the child to ignore the negative names he/she was being called by other children. Although its purpose was honorable its message is deceitful. The truth is words can hurt! The tongue has the ability to influence and direct the course of one’s life. Never underestimate its power! The children of Israel underestimated the power of their words and it cost thousands upon thousands of them to miss their promise.
THEIR WORDS CONDEMNED THEM (Numbers 13-14)
“If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness!” These words were uttered by the entire community of Israel. They spoke them to Moses and Aaron after hearing the report about the land of Canaan. Here’s a quick view of what happened. Moses sent 12 men to explore the land that God promised to give their ancestors. For 40 days the men surveyed the land. When they returned they said the land does flow with milk and honey (meaning it was full of abundance) and they provided fruit as proof of its plentifulness. But, the tone of the report quickly shifted when 10 of the 12 men began to voice, more loudly, what they considered the “negatives” of the land. They said the inhabitants of the land were giants and they themselves were as grasshoppers in their own eyes and in the eyes of the Canaanites. They said they would enter the land and be killed, and their wives and children would be taken as plunder. They said it would be better for them to die than enter the Promised Land. And that is exactly what happened. God said that He would do to them the very things He heard them say.
Their words condemned them and caused them to miss their promise. Never underestimate the power of your words. Jesus said, “The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” (Matthew 12:37). Your words have the ability to not only affect you, but others also. You must watch over your words because they can determine your destiny.
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