Leviticus 19:16 Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour; I am the Lord.
This passage of scripture teaches us to avoid the sin of carrying bad news that does not edify or build up. Tale-bearing also includes many of the so-called reality shows on television, in which the faults and shortcomings of individuals are unnecessarily exposed to the view of the public. This is especially true of the many "Judgement " episodes in which various individuals, including many husbands and wives, bring up their personal grievances against each other for redress in the court of public opinion.
Husbands and wives should never ever expose each faults to the scrutiny of those who have nothing to do with their situation, except in cases of private marriage counseling, for this is one of the worst types of the sin of tale-bearing, and it thus violates the core principle of good conflict resolution, as espoused in the scriptures. Let's read:
Matthew 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
The privacy factor when adhered to, then sets the stage for reconciliation to be made without the added burden of public embarrassment, and it prevents those who do not know or understand the situation, from making biased inputs and suggestions. If a husband is experiencing problems with his wife, and he then relates these to his male friends, he often gets a man's perspective on the matter, and similarly, if a woman has personal issues with her husband, and then seeks out her female friends for a resolution, she often gets a woman's viewpoint on the way the issue should be handled. Now the Bible is not saying that we cannot have personal friends to confide in when we are in need of advice on sensitive issues, but what we must be very careful not to do is to expose all of the gory details, especially to non-aquaintances, for in so doing we often do more harm than good.
Furthermore, the best and most trust-worthy person to confide in is Christ, who is described in the Bible as being the mighty counselor. Doctor Phil and Oprah did not die for us on the cross to redeem us from our sin and troubles, therefore we should be wary of confiding in such persons as counselors. When there are issues which need to be resolved, let us form the habit of running to Christ instead of to man, for He knows our innermost thoughts and desires, and He alone has the cures for all of our troubles. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which invites us to take all our issues to the Lord in prayer, instead of running up and down as tale-bearers, for God is ready and able to do abundantly more than we can ask or think, if we will only take our burdens to Him. Let's read:
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
May God enable us to be faithful watchmen over our tongues, for by our words we can dispel the darkness which sometimes beclouds our pathway. God bless!