My grandmother owned a small figurine. It was three monkeys sitting in a row. The first monkey had his hands covering his ears. The middle monkey had his hands over his eyes. The third monkey had his hands covering his mouth. I remember asking my grandmother about it. I mean, this thing was just plain ugly!

She told me it represented an old saying. "Hear no evil, See no evil, Speak no evil." The monkey with his hands over his ears was illustrating that we should never listen to gossip. The middle monkey was a reminder that we should never look at things that God would not look at. The last monkey was symbolic of watching what we say, and certainly to never speak ill of someone.

I hadn’t thought of that statue in years. When God brought it to mind I laughed out loud when I remembered how fascinated I had been by it as a small child. I could actually hear my grandmother saying, "And if anyone does any of those three things – hears evil, sees evil or speaks evil – that person is just as dumb and ugly as those three monkeys.

However, God informed me that it was no laughing matter. That I had been a monkey many times in my life! Sad to say, it was true. How many times have I listened to something that I knew God wouldn’t approve of. How many times have I looked at things that God would not look upon. And how many times have I spoken when He wanted me to be quiet?

Did you know that there are monkeys in the Bible? I knew there were dogs, and pigs, and fish, and whales, and birds, and donkeys. But monkeys? God showed me monkeys.

Let’s go to Genesis 19. God has decided to destroy the city of Sodom because of their sin of homosexuality. Verse 17 tells us that God’s angel warns Lot and his family to "escape for their life and to not look behind them" because He is going to rain down hail and brimstone on the town. But as we read on we find that Lot’s wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt.

Lot’s wife had become a monkey! She disobeyed God, looked to her past and saw evil!

We find another monkey in Numbers 22 . Balak, the king of Moab, sends messengers to Balaam, a soothsayer. Balak is afraid of the Israelites and wants to pay Balaam to curse God’s people so that they can not destroy him as he had seen happen to others. Balaam tells the messengers to spend the night so that he may pray to God to seek His instructions. God tells Balaam that he is "not to go with them and not to curse the people; for they are blessed" (vs. 12).

The following morning Balaam only reports that he can not go with the men. He does not tell them that God specifically told him he could not curse the Israelites. Balaam is keeping the door open for reward!

Balak again sends leaders to Balaam, this time more numerous and distinguished with the promise to pay Balaam whatever he wants. Verse 18, "And Balaam answered and said, ‘though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything, either small or great, contrary to the command of the Lord my God. But please stay tonight, and I will find out what else the Lord will speak."

Without actually saying it, Balaam was letting Balak know that he would take silver and gold. Then he goes back to God, hoping to change His mind! Balaam knew what God had instructed him, but the lure of riches brought him to the place where he was willing to speak evil against God’s own people! Balaam had become a monkey!

The last monkey is the most important, "Hear no evil". Why is it the most important? Because "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" ((Romans 10:17) and "without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).

The king of Assyria has brought a large army to Jerusalem to destroy it.(2 Kings 18) His commanders have been placed around the cities walls, shouting up to the people. "Do not let (your king) Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you from our hand; nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, ‘the Lord will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’" (vs. 29-30)

Hezekiah could have listened to those words of death. He could have been filled with doubts and fear about his God. But he closed his ears and took it to the Lord. "Thus says the Lord, ‘Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard…..Because you have prayed to Me, I have heard you…and I will make him (the king of Assyria) fall by his own sword." (2 Kings 19:6,7,20)

Hezekiah refused to hear evil. He refused to become a monkey. And because he trusted in God we are told that there was no king like him among all the kings of Judah, and the Lord was with him; wherever he went he prospered.(2 Kings 18:5,7)

As women we are exhorted to be examples. Titus 2 tells us to be "reverent in our behavior, not malicious gossips,…..teaching what is good…to encourage the younger women….that the word of God may not be dishonored."

Let Jesus shine through us so that our beauty is not external only. Make a decision today to hear no evil, to see no evil, to speak no evil. Make a decision today to be a daughter of the Most High, not a monkey!