“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11)
Growing Dominion, Part 151
“The north wind driveth away rain: so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue” (Prov. 25:23).
Nothing brings out the backbiting tongue like a little bit of success. And of course, a person who goes into business ought not to be so thin-skinned that he reacts disproportionately to every last person who talks loosely or untruthfully, But when it gets to a certain level of snark, something really ought to be done. There is nothing unbiblical about confronting those who backbite. Men should be accountable for what they say.
Those who are industrious and hardworking tend to view success in their business as a report card from a fair-minded teacher. Those who like to backbite over those who outperformed them view that same success as evidence that the teacher was bribed—the whole semester was obviously rigged. A certain amount of this kind of talk is going to go on regardless. But when it gets to a certain point, an angry response will drive it away the same way the north wind drives away rain.