Have you ever met a professional “digger”? What about a “burier”? What do I mean by that? Have you ever met someone who loved–just absolutely and almost instinctively loved–to dig up dirt on other people? Just the slightest hint of a person’s indiscretion and there are certain individuals who will whip out the shovel (or even a backhoe) and see how much they can find. On the other side are the “buriers,” who are quick to cover up the indiscretions of others.
So, as a Christian, which implement should I care in my toolbox? The book of Proverbs has much to say about “talebearers,” “whisperers” and one who “reveals secrets” or “repeats a matter.” These individuals are often compared with “fools” and contrasted with the “faithful.”
As a Christian, I must “not rejoice in iniquity” (1 Cor. 13:6)! A brother’s sin is not opportunity for me to find delight, to dig, to “speak evil of” (Tit. 3:2) or to say “things” I “ought not” (1 Tim. 5:13). Rather, in “all humility” (Tit. 3:2), my words must be “good for building up” (Eph. 4:29).