Daily Devotions
James
"Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter..."
Text: James 3:11
ILLUSTRATIONS FROM NATURE
James sought to complete his argument that the tongue cannot be used to bless God and to curse men! He used illustrations from nature to bring home an important truth!
“Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter
from the same opening?
Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives,
or a grapevine bear figs?
Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.”
James 3:11-12
1. First illustration
a) A rhetorical question was raised.
b) Does a spring send forth fresh and bitter water?
c) The answer was obvious!
2. Second illustration
a) Can a fig tree bear olives?
b) Another rhetorical question that does not require an answer.
3. Third illustration
a) Can a grapevine bear figs?
b) We have another rhetorical question raised up.
4. Thus no spring yields both
a) Salt water
b) And fresh.
AN IMPORTANT TRUTH THAT NEEDED TO BE BROUGHT ACROSS
It is important to note why James wrote so strongly against the abuse of the tongue! He probably sought to address the following problems: –