The Poisoned Appetizer: Text: Proverbs 18:8
Introduction: The Sweet Tooth for Sin
There are certain sins that are respectable, or at least we treat them as such. They are the house-trained sins, the sins we invite in for coffee, the sins we would never dream of calling by their proper name. We call them "venting," or "sharing a concern," or "just keeping you in the loop." But God has a much shorter, sharper word for it. He calls it talebearing, whispering, or gossip. And in our text today, He diagnoses with surgical precision not only the nature of this sin, but also the reason for its universal and insidious appeal.
We live in an age that has made an art form of slander. Our entire media landscape, from the talking heads on the television to the anonymous trolls in the comment sections, is fueled by the delicious morsel of another's fault, real or imagined. But we must not fool ourselves into thinking this is a problem "out there." The human heart is the native soil for this weed, and it grows just as vigorously in the fertilized ground of a church prayer chain as it does in the godless pages of a tabloid. We have an appetite for it. We crave it. We find it tasty.
The book of Proverbs is intensely practical. It does not deal in abstractions. It tells us how the world actually works, because it tells us how God made the world to work. And when it comes to the use of the tongue, the wisdom is stark. A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:20-21). Our words are not trifles. They are seeds that produce a harvest of either life or death. The sin of gossip is not a minor infraction. It is spiritual arsenic, served up on a silver platter as a delicacy. And this proverb shows us exactly how we eagerly swallow it down.
The Text
The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of the stomach.
(Proverbs 18:8 LSB)
The Appetizer of Iniquity (v. 8a)
The first clause of our proverb gives us a powerful and unsettling metaphor.
"The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels..." (Proverbs 18:8a)
The "whisperer" here is the talebearer, the gossip. This is the man or woman who traffics in information that is not theirs to share, usually to the detriment of another. Notice the posture. It is not a declaration from the housetops, but a whisper, a secret shared. This gives it the illusion of intimacy and importance. "Can I tell you something in confidence?" That is often the devil's doorbell.
And what are these whispered words like? They are like "dainty morsels." Some translations say "choice morsels" or "delicious morsels." The Hebrew word here is fascinating. It comes from a root that means "to swallow greedily." This is not talking about a polite little nibble on a cracker. This is talking about that piece of dessert you can't resist, the appetizer you gorge yourself on. It speaks of a ravenous, unchecked appetite. This is the first part of the diagnosis. We don't just tolerate gossip; our fallen nature craves it. It tastes good to us.
Why? Because it feeds our pride. To hear a negative report about someone else is to momentarily elevate ourselves at their expense. It makes us feel righteous by comparison. "I would never do that." It makes us feel important, because we are now "in the know," part of an exclusive circle of information. The gossip and the one who listens to the gossip are both appointing themselves as unauthorized judges, and there is nothing the proud heart loves more than to sit on a throne that does not belong to it.
This proverb is repeated almost verbatim in Proverbs 26:22, where it is set in the context of strife. "For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, contention quiets down." Gossip is the fuel for the fire of division. It is never harmless. A whisperer, Solomon says elsewhere, "separateth chief friends" (Proverbs 16:28). This is not a small thing. It is a relational bomb, wrapped up to look like a tasty treat.
The Poison in the Belly (v. 8b)
The second clause shows us what happens after we have indulged our sinful appetite.
"And they go down into the innermost parts of the stomach." (Proverbs 18:8b LSB)
The metaphor continues. These tasty morsels are not just tasted and forgotten. They are swallowed. They are internalized. They "go down into the innermost parts of the stomach," or as some translations have it, "the chambers of the belly." In Hebrew thought, the belly or the inward parts represented the very core of a person. It was the seat of the emotions, the will, the very center of your being. This is not just about physical digestion. This is about spiritual absorption.
When you listen to gossip, when you receive a slanderous report, it does not just sit on the surface of your mind. It sinks deep down inside you. It lodges there. And what does it do? It poisons you from the inside out. It changes how you view the person being talked about. The seed of suspicion is planted. The root of bitterness begins to grow. You may not even be fully conscious of it, but that "dainty morsel" is now corrupting your affections and your judgments.
This is why Scripture is so severe in its warnings. "You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people" (Leviticus 19:16). The words of a slanderer are not just words; they are like the "thrusts of a sword" (Proverbs 12:18). They wound deeply. And here we see that they wound both the person being slandered and the person who listens to the slander. The morsel that tastes so sweet in the mouth becomes a festering wound in the soul.
It is a profound spiritual truth. What you consume, you become. If you feast on a steady diet of whispered reports, critical spirits, and negative information about your brothers and sisters, you will become a suspicious, critical, and bitter person. The poison you so eagerly swallowed will do its work. It will corrupt your heart and defile your relationships. You cannot play with this fire without getting burned. You cannot eat this poison and expect to remain healthy.
The Gospel Cure for a Poisoned Appetite
So what is the solution? It is not simply a matter of trying harder to say no to the next juicy story. The problem is not with our willpower; the problem is with our appetite. We love the taste of these dainty morsels. Therefore, the only cure is to have our appetites retrained, to have our tastes transformed by a greater sweetness.
The gospel is the announcement of the greatest news, the ultimate "good report." It is the news that though we are sinners deserving of judgment, God in His mercy sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to live the perfect life we have not lived and to die the death we deserved to die. He took the slander of our sin upon Himself at the cross. He was whispered against, falsely accused, and condemned, so that we who believe in Him might be declared righteous.
When you truly begin to feast on this reality, it changes what you find tasty. The cheap, sugary junk food of gossip begins to lose its appeal. Why? Because the gospel does two things simultaneously. First, it humbles you. It reminds you that you are a sinner saved by grace alone. You have no room to look down on another, because you bring nothing to the table but your own sin, which Christ has paid for. This kills the pride that gossip feeds on.
Second, the gospel fills you with love for the brethren. If Christ died for that person you are tempted to gossip about, who are you to run them down with your tongue? He has covered their sins with His blood, and you want to dig them up for a cheap thrill? The gospel trains our tongues to speak words that build up, not tear down. It gives us a new appetite for grace, for forgiveness, for bearing with one another, and for speaking the truth in love.
When the next dainty morsel of gossip is passed your way, you must see it for what it is: a poisoned appetizer offered from the hand of the Accuser of the brethren. And by the grace of God, you must refuse it. You must starve that old appetite and instead cultivate a new one. Feast on Christ. Feast on His Word. Feast on the goodness of God displayed in His people. For only when you are satisfied with the Bread of Heaven will you lose your taste for the garbage of this world.