David confessed that he had sinned. The vile disease that befell him was the result of his sin. His enemies were happy because they believed he was about to die. Every one of these four verses is a different way his enemies used their voices to speak against him.
The first is verbally expressing their desire that he perish. They did not hold back their wickedness. The second is speaking lies to him and slander about him to others. They do not love the truth. The third is vicious gossip. They know no shame, do not fear God, and love is not in their hearts. All of these gather an audience at the expense of David who had been nothing but kind to them.
James. the brother of Jesus warned the believers of Jesus, “When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
“All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
“With the tongue, we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”
