Treasures New and Old
Treasures New and OldGod’s Pattern for His Disciples: The Disciple’s Tongue
We are taking a deeper look at that discipleship lifestyle than we did in 2020 by looking at what I call God’s pattern for His disciples.
For our article this month, we will look at our battle over the old nature, our old man called the flesh. So far in this series we have looked at what being a disciple of Christ means, guarding our hearts, and making our calling and election sure, and being of one mind with Christ and one another, and making no provision for the flesh but also replacing those sinful behaviors with godly behaviors.
The Disciple’s Tongue
In this article, we will address the tongue of a disciple; specifically, the power (and authority) of our tongues. We use our tongues for praise and in anger (in other words, for good and evil). James 3:8-10: “But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.”
Well, if man can’t tame it, why try? Because alone we cannot, but with Christ: Mark 9:23: “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”
Prayer, as well as words that we speak, are a part of the use of the tongue. We’ve talked about different aspects of prayer, how important it is to agree with one another in prayer out loud, being sure our prayer requests align with those of the Father, and other aspects. However, it is not the subject of this article.
Our verbal speech is important for many reasons. Included in it is prayer, praise, communications between believers, legal matters, teaching, preaching, witnessing, encouraging, etc. What does it look like to the lost if our tongues behave no differently than theirs? Of course, when we speak of the tongue, we also speak of the heart and what we are thinking. Out of the heart come the issues of life, and the tongue merely reflects those.
The Category of Cursing
I wish to put a collection of things the Bible warns us against in this category of cursing. Cursing is not only related to the use of curse words, vulgar language, or what we see in society today – a lot of taking the Lord’s name in vain. Cursing also includes things we say about those around us, like our children, or our friends, or even dignitaries. Whenever we tell our child he is dumb, that is a curse. You’re training him to be dumb which is a curse upon him. Curing can be very overt, actually wishing a bad thing to happen upon someone. “I hope he never gets a promotion!” And other such speech that wishes harm, damage, or failure for someone is cursing. The Bible clearly teaches that we are not to have this behavior in our vocabulary. How can we praise God one moment, and curse people the next? Clearly brethren, that ought not to be so.
Category of Blessing
A blessing, according to American Dictionary of the English Language, is “[b]enediction ; a wish of happiness pronounced ; a prayer imploring happiness upon another.” A blessing is generally understood to be a good thing. We ask God to bless us in all sorts of ways. We ask God to bless our food. We want Him to bless the hands that work. We want our children to be blessed. We want our church to be blessed. And so on.
Obviously, blessings can be physical, like an exceptionally good meal, an unexpected bonus at work, a special gift given to us, or a near accident that didn’t occur (it was a close call, but God protected us and kept us from having the accident). But blessings can also be verbal. When I tell the child he did a math problem correctly and that I am pleased, I have blessed him. We also pray for blessings by asking God to do something for us or someone else like healing, a new job, or to meet some other need.
Jesus taught that we are to bless those that curse us. This is just the opposite of what the world would do. They curse their enemies and only bless their friends. But the behavior of a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ is to be the opposite of the world. We are to be blessing people with our tongue and not cursing.
Blessing is a very old and well understood activity in the Bible. It goes all way back to the patriarchs like Jacob whom God renamed Israel. He blessed the sons of Joseph. He also blessed his own sons, but in ways you and I might not have expected. His blessing for his own sons were really prophetic utterances that came true. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if from our prayer life we blessed people as we pray for them and see wonderful answers to prayer to their behalf. Would it not be wonderful to see children responding to our verbal blessings that encourage them to do better. Would it not be wonderful to see our wives, daughters, and sons blossom under our proper praise that encourages good behavior. Let me note that at this point that I’m not talking about praising physical characteristics, that only leads to pride. I’m talking about skill sets that they have learned, especially if they were difficult for them at first, or character qualities. I’m talking about thanking your wife or husband and your children for things they have done for you, being grateful, and praising them accordingly.
A disciple in the Lord Jesus Christ must realize the importance of his tongue and the damage or the good things it can do. Disciples must learn to manage their tongues. If we are to reflect the Lord Jesus Christ so that others may see Christ in us, we must learn to control the tongue. Jesus even taught that we are to bless our enemies. Disciples need to emulate the Master and learn how to bless even those who hate us.
Genesis 1:22 is the first occurrence of blessing in the Bible when God blessed the sea creatures and birds, telling them to be fruitful and multiply. Likewise, in verse 28, God gave the similar blessing to Adam and Eve, adding that they were to exercise dominion over creation. When God called Abram to go to the Promised Land (Genesis 12:1-3), He promised to bless him, make his name great, and through him, bless all the families of the earth. The blessings here are plainly associated with happiness and welfare, both for Abram and others. In Genesis 22:16-18, God again blesses Abram and adds that blessing is due to his obedience to God’s commands.
Some additional verses about blessings:
2 Samuel 7:29: “Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue forever before thee: for thou, O Lord GOD, has spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed forever.”
1 Chronicles 16:43: “And all the people departed every man to his house: and David returned to bless his house.”
1 Chronicles 17:27: “Now therefore let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may be before thee forever: for thou blessest, O LORD, and it shall be blessed forever.”
Psalm 115:12: “The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron.”
Psalm 134:1: “A Song of degrees. Behold, bless ye the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD, which be night stand in the house of the LORD.”
Psalm 135:19-20: “Bless the LORD, O house of Israel: bless of LORD, O house of Aaron: Bless the LORD, O house of Levi: ye that fear the LORD, bless the LORD.”
Ephesians 1:3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:”
2 Corinthians 9:8: “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:”
Numbers 6:24-26: “The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”
Psalm 31:19: “Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!”
Disciple’s Binding and Loosing
I would like also to look at the subject of binding and loosing, another tongue related activity that is talked about in the Scripture. In the New Testament, the concept of binding and loosening is taught in the Bible in Matthew 16:19. We read: “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Jesus is speaking to the disciples, specifically to Peter, about a principal that is as old as the Old Testament. But He is now giving them authority that expands the parameters in the Old Testament. He has given His disciples the authority to bind and loose on earth and promised that when they do, it will be bound and loosed in heaven as well.
Proverbs 18:21: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” Ask yourself disciple, shall the fruit be good fruit, or will it end up being bad fruit? Such is the power of our tongue.”
God is not the only one who pronounces blessings. When Rebekah left her family to become Isaac’s wife (Genesis 24:60), her family blessed her by saying, “be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.” When Isaac was ready to die, he pronounced this blessing on his son, Jacob: “Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee” (Genesis 27:28-29).
Spiritual Binding
Binding (Hebrew (Strong’s H632) issar or (Strong’s H631) asar and Greek (Strong’s G1195) desmeuo or (Strong’s G1210) deo) refers, specifically, to oaths and prisoners – those that have been bound in an oath or vow or have been bound like as a prisoner may be bound or in a prison cell. Binding is like a temporary (or maybe even permanent) spiritual, legal contract or handcuffing. You make a vow before the Lord, and you are bound (legally required) to fulfill it. You can bind a demon spirit, much like tying something up with rope or chains. You cannot bind a person’s free will, but you can bind the demons affecting or influencing that person.
Binding is not the same practice as casting out demons. If you are trying to talk to, witness, or minister to somebody, and they seem impossible to get through to, or unfocused, or daydreamy, it may be helpful to bind the spirits influencing that person. This will handcuff the enemy so you can directly and effectively minister to that person without having them continually held back by the enemy’s interference, whisperings, and lies.
Please note that both the Hebrew and the Greek word for binding are referring to legal activities. For instance, an oath or a vow is like a binding contract or covenant. It must be completed as stated or violations of it can invoke penalties, loss, or broken relationships. In regards to binding a prisoner, clearly that represents a legal activity, like an officer handcuffs a thief and arrests him. That officer must have the authority before he can do that activity.
The expressions bind and loose were common to Jewish legal phraseology, meaning to declare something forbidden or to declare it allowed. Loosing is also an activity in the Old Testament. When we get to loosing, I’ll explain how that is also a legal term. Right now, when you bind, you are in your physical location here on earth. Jesus is saying that the authority to bind and loose are provided for us to use right here on earth. This spiritual authority is a very important tool in our prayer and witnessing arsenal. They are like the sword of the Spirit; they are offensive in nature more than they are defensive (like the armor).
To understand how this works, it is important to go back to Matthew and notice the word heaven. Jesus said that what we bind and loose on earth will be bound and loosed for us in heaven. Jesus referred to binding and loosing as the keys to the kingdom, which means we ought to know and use these keys as His disciples.
The concept is partially wrapped around the word heaven and what Jesus said. “What we bind on earth will be bound in heaven,” and “what we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” That word heaven is an interesting word. If you look up the word heaven in the Greek, ((Strong’s G3772) ouranos), you’ll find that it can also mean air or sky. In Ephesians 2:2, Satan is known as the “prince of the power of the air (ouranos)”. This realm is where the spirits appear to dwell. Why do I use the word realm? Because we’re referring to the kingdom of heaven at the same time.
The Bible also says that we are seated with Christ in heavenly (ouranos) places. This isn’t referring to heaven as in the place we go after we die, but rather that we are seated with Him in His heavenly realm – the kingdom of heaven. (This may help explain why the Bible teaches that while we are on earth, say in a prayer service, that we are also seated with Christ (Ephesians 2:6) – because the kingdom of heaven is a spiritual realm and is virtually everywhere.) We, as humans, were created as lesser beings than the angels, but as believers, we are now seated above the angelic realm and with Christ! So, the word heaven here is referring to the spiritual realm, the kingdom of heaven (also the air where the spirits dwell and operate).
Therefore, when you bind something here on earth, it will be bound in the spiritual realm as well. This gives us the ability to bind demons because they dwell within the spiritual realm. Jesus’ words meant that the disciples have the right to enter the kingdom themselves, hold general authority symbolized by the possession of these spiritual keys, preaching the gospel as the means of opening the kingdom of heaven to all believers, and they also had the ability to bind beings in the kingdom realm. Are there demons and wicked things in the kingdom realm that need binding? Look at the following parable of Jesus:
Matthew 13:31-32: “Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.”
Mustard seeds don’t grow into trees. It can be a large herb at times, but it’s never the size of a tree. When it comes to the birds of the air (ouranos) all sorts of birds are not specifically good. Jesus is, therefore, liking the kingdom of heaven to this corrupted version of a mustard plant which some people consider a picture of how the church became years after the original apostles were gone. Corrupted by papal bulls, doctrines pulled out of thin air, divisions among the different denominations, not to mention certain darker elements of the many crusades which did nothing to bring people to Christ.
As disciples of Christ, in our prayer life it should be a regular practice to bind and rebuke wicked spirits away from those we love, or we are witnessing to, or we are praying for loosening from bondage. I’m not saying that this is a direct confrontation like casting out spirits, but it is an intricate part of what Jesus said we are to do, and we have the authority to do it. By the way, the word power in the Greek, in most cases, can also be rendered authority (Strong’s G1849).
A prayer that I often use is that of, “God, please remove the covering that has bound their minds from seeing truth” (Isaiah 25:7; Isaiah 30:1). We also see this principle of binding (and subsequent loosening under the right legal conditions) in the Mosaic Law in regards to vows made. Consider:
Numbers 30:2-3: “If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind ((Strong’s H631) asar – to yoke, hitch, or fasten) his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth. If a woman also vow a vow unto the LORD, and bind (asar) herself by a bond, being in her father’s house in her youth;”
Numbers 30:13-14: “Every vow (asar), and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void. But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day to day; then he establisheth all her vows, or all her bonds, which are upon her: he confirmeth them, because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them.”
Binding is a well-established principle in the Scripture, well known to the Jewish scholars, and, of course, to Jesus and His disciples. A vow made in the Old Testament was like a hard and fast contract or covenant. When a man made a vow, God expected him to keep it. A vow made before the Lord could not be broken without penalty. I find it interesting that if a woman made vow, on the day that a husband heard it, he (and a father who still has authority over his daughter) had the authority to cancel the vow without any repercussions. But he had to do it on the day he heard it or the vow would stand. This is very much a legal activity in the heavenly realm. A vow binds men. But for a lady, a husband or father can loose her.
Some additional binding verses and some different Hebrew words that mean basically the same as asar:
Psalm 149:8: “To bind (asar) their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;”
Proverbs 3:3: “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind ((Strong’s H7194) qashar – to tie them, join together) them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:”
Proverbs 6:21: “Bind (qashar) them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.”
Isaiah 61:1: “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up ((Strong’s G2280) chabash – wrap firmly, gird about) the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;”
Hosea 6:1: “Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind (chabash) us up.
Some additional binding verses and the Greek word that mean basically the same as the Hebrew asar:
Matthew 12:29: “Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind ((Strong’s G1210) deo – to bind with cords) the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.“
Matthew 13:30: “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind (deo) them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”
Matthew 16:19: “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind (deo) on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose ((Strong’s G3089) luo – to loosen, break, destroy, dissolve, put off) on earth shall be loosed (luo) in heaven.”
Matthew 18:18: “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind (deo) on earth shall be bound (deo) in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose (luo) on earth shall be loosed (luo) in heaven.”
Matthew 22:13: “Then said the king to the servants, Bind (deo) him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Now let’s look at spiritual loosing.
Spiritual Loosing
Just as the Hebrew and Greek words for binding are essentially legal terms, so, too, is the Greek word for loose, loosing, loosening. Let’s look at that word:
Loose (Matthew 18:27): Greek: (Wordsearch’s Strong’s G630) apoluo: “Vine’s words: Depart, Dismiss, Divorce, Divorcement, Let (alone; go), Liberty, Loose, Put, Release, Send.” See how the words dismissed, divorce, divorcement are high in the list. It’s a legal term that means you have been divided from the bondage that you were in before you were loosed. Paul talks about that when he discusses the marriage relationship and says that a woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive and they are married. To depart or be dismissed is to be removed from the relationship and, therefore, loosed from its requirements. Not that I am advocating divorce, for I am not, I’m merely pointing out what the Greek word means.
In the example above regarding a woman who has made a vow, the husband (or a father of a daughter still under his authority) can loose her (free her from the legal obligation) from the vow in the day he hears it. Note two important things about this legal binding and loosing regarding vows: Men are not able to be loosed from their vows – so be very careful before you venture to vow before the Lord. Also, dads and husbands, you best take seriously a daughter’s or wife’s vow, and if it is to be annulled, best do so quickly that day! By the way, I am under the strong impression that this must be done verbally, out loud (obviously in the presence of your wife or daughter) but also in the presence of the heavenly realm.
When Jesus set free the woman with the issue of blood, He loosened her from something. If you look at Luke 13:12, it gives us an example of when Jesus loosed a captive, “And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.” I find it interesting that He did not “heal” this woman as He did so many others. She needed to be loosed from something. Demonic infliction? An infliction caused by her own bitterness? We may never know, but we can learn from this instance. We also have the authority to “loose” someone from such afflictions if the Spirit prompts us to do so.
Back to this important verse that Jesus spoke and, thus, gave His disciples the authority to bind and loose: Matthew 16:19: “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Jesus repeats this command in Matthew 18:18: “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” However, we need to be careful that we are in God’s will. God will not violate His will by allowing us to ask or do things that are not within it. Think you can “loose” a million dollars your way? Think again. The prosperity gospel preachers are neglecting checking in with the Holy Spirit before they “name it and claim it.”
I’ll end this article on a high note:
Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” That’s a blessing!
Genesis 12:2: “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:” Abraham’s blessing is also a blessing for us!
Psalm 23:6: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” I’ll gladly take that blessing!
Revelation 3:7: “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no men openeth;” Jesus holds the keys and gave them to us. Let’s properly use them when we use our tongues . . .
Maranatha!
Bro. Joe
References
Strong, J. Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries. Meyers, R. (2005). e-Sword. [computer software] . Franklin, TN: Equipping Ministries Foundation. (Original work published 1539)
Strong, J. Strong’s Talking Greek_Hebrew Dictionary. Wordsearch. (2020). Wordsearch Bible. [computer software] . Nashville, TN: LifeWay Christian Resources. (Original work published 1890).
Webster, Noah. Noah Webster’s First Edition of an American Dictionary of the English Language Facsimile Fifth Edition. San Francisco, CA now at Chesapeake Bay, VA: The Foundation for American Christian Education. 1987. (Original work published 1828)