James Expounds on Faith Volume 31

 Taming the Tongue 😝 Part 2

James 3:3-4 Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version

The Apostle James is continuing his thoughts on how any one of us brothers or sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ can walk and live in spiritual maturity by bridling or restraining our tongue in speaking words which are displeasing to our Lord Jesus Christ and dishonoring to other human beings (fellow believers and unbelievers) by giving an example of what we human beings do to 🐴 horses when we want them to be under the control of the person who will ride them and that being by places a tiny bit/bridle in their mouths to guide and control their stopping and starting and to cause, that is, to make the horse 🐴 act a particular way and to go where we want them and at the pace we want them to go forward and to stop and even to back them up when we have ridden them into a bad spot, here is what the Apostle James writes for us as our illustration or example, "Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body." (James 3:3) (KJV). Just like the horse 🐴 is controlled (its whole body) by this little bit in his mouth 👄, so is man 👨 and woman 👩 controlled by our little tongue 😝. The idea 💡 James is trying to get sunk deeply into our inner man 👨 and inner woman 👩 is that we are responsible for the bridling of our tongues, because our Lord Jesus Christ will not allow us to continue to use language that displeases Him and offends our brothers and sisters in His Body. He will chastise us, as it is written, "If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:7-11 (NKJV). Until we surrender our will to the Holy Spirit, then we will be partakers of the chastising Hand 🖐 of Abba that produces the peacable fruit of speech pleasing to Him and edifying to our brothers and sisters 'in Christ'. Note: Bengel says this, "The same applies to the pen, which is the substitute for the tongue among the absent." Here also is what Matthew Henry had to say of James 3:3, "There is a great deal of brutish fierceness and wantonness in us. This shows itself very much by the tongue: so that this must be bridled; according to Psalms 39:1, I will keep my mouth with a bridle (or, I will bridle my mouth) while the wicked is before me. The more quick and lively the tongue is, the more should we thus take care to govern it. Otherwise, as an unruly and ungovernable horse runs away with his rider, or throws him, so an unruly tongue will serve those in like manner who have no command over it. Whereas, let resolution and watchfulness, under the influence of the grace of God, bridle the tongue, and then all the motions and actions of the whole body will be easily guided and overruled."

The next illustration the Apostle James uses would be that of a large ship being controlled by a tiny helm or rudder, which is a steering mechanism for a vessel/ship; in those days in which the Apostle James lived it was an oar worked by a handle. Helm and rudder were thus one by which a vessel/ship is steered and guided in the direction the Captain of the Ship wants it to embark upon, as written with these words for us by the Apostle James, "Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth." (James 3:4) (KJV). In this illustration, James is showing how not only are living creatures controlled by such a tiny object, so too can this apply to a non-living thing or better known as an inanimate object, which implies that if we can control even non-living things with small objects, then how great an effect does this small body part of ours (the tongue 😝) have for doing good or for doing evil. It has to be under the control of the God the Holy Spirit. Imagine a huge Ocean liner with know control mechanism on it as it roars down the Ocean with know way to stop it or slow it or steer it, then we would have a vessel that would only be headed to destroy the other things in its path, so are we when our speech is not governed by God the Holy Spirit, as these words written by the Psalmist should be the posture and practice of each one of us, for I have heard them and spoken them a million times and also ignored them as much only to my detriment, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer." (Psalms 19:14) (NKJV). Here is what Albert Barnes had to say of James 3:4, "This illustration is equally striking and obvious. A ship is a large object. It seems to be unmanageable by its vastness, and it is also impelled by driving storms. Yet it is easily managed by a small rudder; and he that has control of that, has control of the ship itself. So with the tongue. It is a small member as compared with the body; in its size not unlike the rudder as compared with the ship. Yet the proper control of the tongue in respect to its influence on the whole man, is not unlike the control of the rudder in its power over the ship. Which though they be so great - So great in themselves, and in comparison with the rudder. Even such bulky and unwieldy objects are controlled by a very small thing. And are driven of fierce winds - By winds that would seem to leave the ship beyond control. It is probable that by the 'fierce winds' here as impelling the ship, the Apostle meant to illustrate the power of the passions in impelling man. Even a man under impetuous passion would be restrained, if the tongue is properly controlled, as the ship driven by the winds is by the helm. Yet are they turned about with a very small helm - The ancient rudder or helm was made in the shape of an oar. This was very small when compared with the size of the vessel - about as small as the tongue is as compared with the body. Whithersoever the governor listeth - As the helmsman pleases. It is entirely under his control." Here also is what Matthew Henry had to say of James 3:4, "As the helm is a very small part of the ship, so is the tongue a very small part of the body: but the right governing of the helm or rudder will steer and turn the ship as the governor pleases; and a right management of the tongue is, in a great measure, the government of the whole man. There is a wonderful beauty in these comparisons, to show how things of small bulk may yet be of vast use. And hence we should learn to make the due management of our tongues more our study, because, though they are little members, they are capable of doing a great deal of good or a great deal of hurt."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…