A scoundrel and villain,

who goes about with a corrupt mouth,

who winks with his eye,

signals with his feet

and motions with his fingers,

who plots evil with deceit in his heart—

he always stirs up dissension. Prov 6:12-14

He who winks with his eye is plotting perversity;

he who purses his lips is bent on evil. Prov 16:30

A wicked man listens to evil lips;

a liar pays attention to a malicious tongue. Prov 17:4

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;

they go down to a man’s inmost parts. Prov 18:8

Like a coating of glaze over earthenware

are fervent lips with an evil heart. Prov 26:23

Whoever flatters his neighbor

is spreading a net for his feet. Prov 29:5

A childhood taunt says, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." The sentiment may be brave, but we know from painful memory that words can be exceedingly painful.

Solomon’s proverbs speak straightforwardly of the harm that words can work—harm when they are spoken to us, by us or about us. And for all their power to work evil, bad words can be surprisingly (and disconcertingly) pleasant to hear or to speak!

The proverbs below warn us about bad words, spoken by evil or foolish people for selfish or wicked ends. The world is awash with bad words. The wise man or woman knows how to recognize them, not only so they can purge bad words from their own speech, but also to escape the menace of bad words from others.

1. How do you usually respond when someone offers a juicy bit of gossip?

2. Read the proverbs above. Evil communication can occur without a word being spoken (Prov 6:12-14; 16:30). What types of nonverbal gestures do people use?

3. Why do you think a mischief-maker communicates in that way?

4. Why is receiving that kind of communication dangerous to you?

5. Suppose you hear an inflammatory report about someone else. By hearing it, do you show yourself to be wicked or a liar (Prov 17:4)? Why, or why not?

6. Do you think there’s any danger in "innocently" overhearing the bad words which come from evil lips and malicious tongues? Explain.

7. Imagine a plate of choice morsels—elaborately decorated cookies, petit fours, canapés, hors d’oeuvres, or something similar (Prov 18:8). What characteristics do those choice morsels and the words of a gossip have in common?

8. How does a coating of glaze over earthenware illustrate the dangers of fervent lips with an evil heart (Prov 26:23)?

9. How might we or others be tripped up by flattery (Prov 29:5)?

10. Why is flattery simple to offer?

11. Why is flattery simple to accept?

12. Thinking back over your previous answers, do you suppose bad words are easy or difficult to produce? Explain.

13. Like smog, bad words are difficult to escape when they’re "in the air." What can you do to reduce your exposure to such words in the coming weeks