7.11.26 – The Power of Our Words

We build our world with words, and our lives will be judged in the future by the words we build with (Eccl. 5:1–6; Matt. 12:36–37; Eccl. 12:14; Jude 1:14–15; Rom. 2:16). At the beginning of this double Torah portion, Matot (tribes) and Massei (journeys), we find the sanctity of keeping a vow and an oath (Num. 30:2).

My mom taught her boys, "If you do not have anything good to say, say nothing at all" (Prov. 26:18–28). Our words are voluntary, not obligatory. Therefore, we should avoid what I call the "Peter syndrome" with our words: "Ready, fire, aim!"—or "removing our foot from our mouth long enough just to stick the other one in."

Israel is nearing the Land. The first generation has completely passed. The people are given the task of building a society unlike any other in the world—a free covenant society between God and man, where trust is built by keeping your word, not through force or self-interest (Ex. 24:3, 7). In this covenant society, words have power and meaning!

Fundamentally, there are three ways to influence people to get things done. The first is force through punishment, and the second is self-interest, promoting one over another. I will save the third for another moment.

  • If we use power over people, we lose our freedom.

  • If we use self-interest over people, we lose our social cohesion. In other words, if I use bribery in any form, some will get rich, and others will suffer—this will break the glue that binds society together.

The third—and only beneficial—modality of influencing people to do things is through our moral obligation: commit verbally. Keep your word. Do what you say. Be consistent. Build trust. Lord willing, at all costs, do what you say you are going to do.

Keeping your word is fundamental to the human condition. It brings order out of chaos, light out of darkness, and clarity out of confusion. If we promise and keep our word, people will trust us, and cooperation will follow. The words we speak create obligation.

Though others in the animal kingdom use various forms of language to communicate, mankind is the only one who can make promises that lead to trust and cooperation.

Just as God created the world with words, bringing order out of chaos, we, in the image of God, do the same when we think through our words clearly before we articulate them. We use words to create order out of chaos, without force or bribe of reward. That is the basis of a society that models freedom for the world.

If you want freedom, keep your word, build trust, and you will have a free society that cooperates—a community of people who model abiding in the vine (John 8:28, 38).

Shabbat Shalom!
Alan

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