People on Your Ship Are Affected by Your Tongue-Rudder
David W Palmer
(James 3:2–5 CEV) All of us do many wrong things. But if you can control your tongue, you are mature and able to control your whole body. {3} By putting a bit into the mouth of a horse, we can turn the horse in different directions. {4} It takes strong winds to move a large sailing ship, but the captain uses only a small rudder to make it go in any direction. {5 DKJV} Our tongues are small too yet they carry great power! …
Through James, the Holy Spirit says that our tongues—implying the words we use them to say—can steer even our flesh like the mighty body of a huge horse. And it is like the “tiny rudder” that steers a “mighty ship,” in the direction chosen by the person at the helm, the captain or leader.
In our case, we are the jockey and helmsmen of our lives; so we can control our lives and bodies with our words—even the powerful flesh represented in James by the strength of a horse. What’s even more amazing is that this passage says that we can set the direction of our ships with our tongues. A ship is large; it is designed to carry passengers and cargo. So the one with the responsibility to set the direction of the rudder controls the direction of the whole vessel and everyone on it. This means that this applies to the areas of life where we are given responsibility to steer the direction for others—our marriage, family, business, ministry, church, or whatever God has given us the responsibility to lead.
So, the Holy Spirit is saying that when you are [hopefully] mature enough to guide your own life, God gives you the authority to lead the lives of others as well. In this case, your tongue can set everyone into God’s direction or on a course to disaster and destruction.
Let’s look at some Bible examples of leader’s right and wrong use of their tongue-rudder and how it affected others on the ship they were leading:
(Judges 11:30–31, 34 NKJV) And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, {31} then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.” ... {34} When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. …
Israel’s judge and army commander, Jephthah, used the words coming from his tongue-rudder to steer very unwisely for those in his family. He declared that he would offer as a burnt offering “whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me.” His only child came out; his words ruined her future. Let’s remember just how powerful our words and declarations are.
(1 Samuel 14:24, 27, 43–44 NKJV) And the men of Israel were distressed that day, for Saul had placed the people under oath, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food until evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food. ... {27} But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath; therefore he stretched out the end of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his countenance brightened. ... {43} Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” And Jonathan told him, and said, “I only tasted a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand. So now I must die!” {44} Saul answered, “God do so and more also; for you shall surely die, Jonathan.”
