from the pastors at nvcf

this questions was sent to me by one of our students via facebook:

Albert,

Proverbs 20:19 (New International Version)

19 A gossip betrays a confidence;
so avoid a man who talks too much.

Proverbs 21:13 (New International Version)

13 If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor,
he too will cry out and not be answered.

contradicting no?

-XXXX (name removed because i felt like it)

here was my response:

Dear XXXX (once again, the name thing i find fun)

the second part of verse 19 is referring to a man “who talks to much” but because it coupled with “a gossip”. so verse 19 is saying avoid people who gossip, because it later describes how a gossip can, and will, betray your trust and turn quickly from one person doing it, to many people doing. we also read that gossip can ruin, hurt, devastate, mutilate (ok maybe not that last one) people.

verse 13 is talking about the “poor”. now i suppose if the “poor” gossip, maybe we should avoid those people. but the “practice of gossip”, if you will, seems to surround people who have nothing better to do. which, in my opinion, the poor have other things on their mind, like i don’t know, surviving. but the bible is not saying to avoid anyone who is poor, or even anyone who talks too much, but the bible is giving two separate pieces of advice:

1- avoid gossipers
2- hear the cry of the poor

hope this helps.

-A