At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Ps. 16: 11)
“Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: So where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth” (Prov. 26:20).
In this place, Solomon compares strife between people to a fire. And like a fire, there must be some sort of material that is combustible. The three things that are necessary for a fire to occur are fuel, oxygen, and heat. In this proverb, the essential ingredient that is named is that of the fuel.
And who is it that gathers up the fuel, and brings it to the place where the fire can continue to burn hot? In this place, that would be the talebearer. As was once said, it takes two people to seriously wound you—one would be the enemy who says a terrible thing about you, and the second one would be your friend, who brings the word to you, and tells you what was said.
It is not talebearing to tell someone the news. The talebearer is someone who knows how to take the news, and put a bit of English on it so that bounces in a particular way. How does the talebearer do this? Well, first, he reveals secrets (Prov. 11:13). Second, he delivers news that he believes is likely to wound . . . because wounding is the point (Prov. 18:8; 26:22). Third, in order to obtain access to the secrets he wants to reveal, he cultivates the sin of flattery (Prov. 20:19).
It is an iron law that you get more of what you subsidize, and less of what you penalize. If you pay any attention whatever to talebearers, you will get more talebearing. And when you do that, you will find yourself with more strife, with more fire. Do you want the fire to go out? Take the wood away.
