THE IMPORTANCE OF CONFIDENTIALITY

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

If you take your neighbor to court, do not betray another’s confidence, or the one who hears it may shame you and the charge against you will stand.

Proverbs 25:9-10        

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Can you keep something to yourself? I mean, if I were to tell you something in confidence, expecting it to be between us, would you be able to do it?

There are so many people who can’t, people who cannot maintain confidentiality when it comes to information given to them in private, information not intended or authorized to go public.

I’ll give you an example that I hear all the time on the news. People who know me know I am a big sports fan and so I spend a little time each day keeping up on what’s going on through the news. It never seems to fail that when listening to the stories, I will hear a reporter breaking a story and within the context of doing so, validating that story by saying they received the information from their “sources”. The “sources” are never mentioned but as things unfold, you find out that the information was true as a team or player has to come out and answer questions about the story written or delivered on television. It’s not that they weren’t going to do so but they wanted to do it on their terms and at the right time. What ended up happening is that someone privy to information they was supposed to be kept private decided to violate trust and leak the information to the public.

On a more personal note, how many relationships have been destroyed because someone failed to keep something confidential after a person confided something in them with the expectation that it would be just be kept between them? Sadly, it happens somewhere every day.

Well, this issue isn’t one that just began in the 21^st century. As we see from the latest proverb from Solomon, it was a matter that people dealt with in biblical times as well. Look at these two verses:

If you take your neighbor to court, do not betray another’s confidence, or the one who hears it may shame you and the charge against you will stand. Proverbs 25:9-10

Now, at first glance, this might be a difficult verse to understand because you can get caught up in the legal verbiage. The verses above come from the New International Version, the translation I use most, but I have found that in some instances, we can gain a greater insight into the meaning of the word of God and how it applies to us by looking at multiple translations of the same verse. When we do this with Proverbs 25:9-10, this is what we find:

When you and someone else can’t get along, don’t gossip about it. Others will find out, and your reputation will then be ruined. (CEV)

Argue your case with your neighbor himself, and do not reveal another's secret, lest he who hears you bring shame upon you, and your ill repute have no end. (ESV)

In the heat of an argument, don’t betray confidences; Word is sure to get around, and no one will trust you. (The Message)

If you and your neighbor have a difference of opinion, settle it between yourselves and do not reveal any secrets. Otherwise everyone will learn that you can't keep a secret, and you will never live down the shame. (GNT)

Did you catch all those warnings from the Lord through His word?

Don’t gossip!

Do not reveal another's secret!

Don’t betray confidences!

In other words, if someone tells you something and expects you to keep it to yourself, do it! Not just because it’s the right thing to do but more so because the Lord told you to do it and disobedience to His word and commandments is simply sin, plain and simple. Choose to violate the word of God and you will find yourself in the midst of the consequences which include:

You will never live down the shame.

Your ill repute have no end and your reputation will be ruined.

No one will trust you.

Is that what you really want?

Suffering through enduring shame.

Experiencing a lost reputation.

Viewed as untrustworthy by others.

Friends, there’s much to lose and everything to gain by keeping things in confidence when expected to. Let’s all today make a renewed commitment to do everything we can to keep from violating the trust of those we are entrusted to. The Lord certainly favors such behavior.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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