Don't Poison the Well
Scripture Reading: Proverbs 25:26
Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain, so is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.
The scriptures are replete with warnings about the damage our words can inflict and the evil our tongues can produce. The sins of the tongue are many: Lying, gossip, swearing, bearing false witness, sowing discord, and blasphemy to name a few. The flip side is also true. We can do great good with our words. We can bless, give hope and encouragement, teach and instruct in truth, give godly advice, express love, and rejoice with our words.
It is, then, understandable why a fountain of water became a common metaphor for the tongue. Our spoken words are like water that has bubbled up from the hidden places of our soul and burst forth to give either refreshment or disease to those who hear them. On the positive side, “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life…” (Proverbs 10:11). On the negative side, “The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness…” (James 3:6).
In Proverbs 25:26 we are warned that a good fountain of water can be poisoned and become polluted. It can happen when we cave in to the pressure of wicked men, when we give in to their demands, abandon truth, and compromise our convictions and principles. That happens either because we lack courage and fear become our master, or we lust after approval and we seek the praise of men more than the praise of God.
Once we cave – “give way before the wicked” – (the idea seems to be that of bowing down), what was a spring of life becomes polluted. It still contains water but it can’t be trusted. What was a stream of godly wisdom becomes a muddled trickle and is no longer useful for wisdom through instruction or example.
Be strong in the Lord. Don’t bow under the pressure of the wicked. Fear God, not man. Seek God’s approval and not the approval of men. Don’t throw poison into the well.