A trustworthy person keeps a secret
Proverbs 11:13 - Keeping a confidence reflects our character and alignment with God’s standards of love and holiness.
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“A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.”
Proverbs 11:13 NIV
Today we look at another one of Solomon’s proverbs. Just a reminder to our long-time subscribers and a shout-out to the new readers — when you visit the Heaven On Wheels website, you can access all of our devotionals on Proverbs and Psalms with a single click on the appropriate link… or just click those words in the line above to see our collections.
If there’s one thing that a lot of us dislike, it’s a person who gossips or (even worse) betrays our trust by telling others a secret we’ve entrusted to them. While gossip is something that is socially unacceptable now, in the time of Solomon it was seen as a severe moral failing!
The ancient Hebrew word used here was רָכִיל or rāḵîl, with a more accurate translation being “tale-bearer”or “scandal-monger (as traveling about)”. It wasn’t just someone who spread rumors or secrets; it was someone who went out of their way to pass along gossip.
There are other places in Scripture where gossip is condemned. For example, Leviticus 19:16 begins with “Do not go about spreading slander among your people”, and another Proverb (16:28) perfectly describes the main problem with gossip and slander - “A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends. '
Gossip is much more than just telling someone else secrets; it is frequently associated with betrayal and a total lack of integrity! In ancient Israel, community and family were everything, so keeping things confidential was imperative for perpetuating unity and trust.
The New Testament tells us what we should be doing:
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Ephesians 4:29 NIV
What’s the opposite of a gossip or slanderer? A trustworthy person. That person doesn’t pass along secrets or talk trash about others, he or she “keeps a secret”. Being trustworthy has great value in biblical teaching, and a trustworthy person will always strive to protect sensitive information, something that denotes a person filled with wisdom and righteousness.
We want our leaders — both secular and religious — to be trustworthy, upholding truth and justice. The perfect example of trustworthiness is, of course, Jesus. He is described in Revelation 19:11 as “Faithful and True”. Keeping a confidence reflects our character and alignment with God’s standards of love and holiness.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Father in Heaven, help me each day to be a person that others can trust. Keep me from gossiping or making hurtful statements, teaching me always to speak with kindness and to stay silent when I should. May I strive to be more like Jesus each day, with my words bringing peace to others rather than pain. AMEN.