“You gave me victory over my accusers. You appointed me ruler over nations; people I don’t even know now serve me. As soon as they hear of me, they submit; foreign nations cringe before me. They all lose their courage and come trembling from their strongholds.”
Psalm 18:43-45 NLT
David was accused of something. We don’t know what it was but some Bible commentators assume it was a political matter, possibly even the incident with his son, Absalom, that we can read in 2 Samuel 15. David continues to write about how God appointed him to as the “ruler over nations”, a role that inevitably didn’t please everyone and accusations over something would have been commonplace. In those days, as in the Middle East and other places in the world today, a dictatorial leader was commonplace – democracy was a concept that was unheard of. But David’s leadership was different because God had installed him on the Israelite throne, incidentally, it became a throne of prophecy about the coming Messiah, as we read in Isaiah 9:7, “His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!”
As modern politicians know, with the prevalence of social media, being accused of something comes with the territory. Our civil leaders, at whatever level, end up having to make decisions about the lives and welfare of their fellow citizens, and such decisions can be unpopular, leading to an army of keyboard warriors dispensing a torrent of criticisms, abuse, and accusations, often unrelated to the issue in question. A leader’s personal life and even appearance is dissected and commented on, with accusations, mostly false, following not far behind. And in this vitriolic environment, women are especially vulnerable to the nastiness that abounds. But it is not only politicians who are the focus of accusations. Anyone can find themselves being accused of something. For example, something gets mislaid in the office or classroom but, even with no evidence, accusations and suspicions emerge. Of particular note is the precarious situation for teachers, foster carers, or anyone who works with children because juvenile accusations can be levelled falsely against someone just trying to do their best for a young person. Some accusation though are right and proper. A driver caught with too much alcohol in their bloodstream is accused of drink driving. A burglar caught with incriminating evidence will have to face accusations of theft in a court of law.
However, the most devastating accusations are those that are false and have no truth or substance, and Christians are particularly vulnerable, because they portray a life of holiness. Wicked and worldly people will level all sorts of accusations against our fellow believers, because the evil and sinful people in the world around us are exposed for what they are and represent when the come into the presence of God is exposed as an evil person. The darkness preferred by the world is destroyed by the light of God. Jesus was very popular initially in Israel, because He healed the sick, fed large numbers of people, and even raised the dead. But as a sinless man, He would have made the worldly people of His day uncomfortable when they were in His company. The Pharisees in particular hated Him with a passion because He exposed their sinful natures in front of the ordinary people. And in the end a sinful and evil people crucified the sinless Son of God. As the thief on the cross said to his fellow felon, “We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong” (Luke 23:41). His words have confronted all those who made false accusations ever since, because, by doing so, they once again crucify Jesus with their sin. In 1 Peter 3:16b we read, “… Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ“.
The ninth commandment, found in Exodus 20:16, reads, “You must not testify falsely against your neighbour”. David wrote again about being falsely accused of something in Psalm 35:11-13, “Malicious witnesses testify against me. They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about. They repay me evil for good. I am sick with despair. Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them. I denied myself by fasting for them, but my prayers returned unanswered“.
In the end, though, what matters in society’s sea of falseness is God. He knows our hearts. He knows what is right and wrong, and those who pursue a life of righteousness, holiness and truth will be vindicated. False accusations will burn up in the fires of hell to be no more, forgotten for all eternity.
Dear Father God. You are the Truth and we stay close to You, because we are saved through Jesus. False accusations may be levelled against us but You know the truth and You will vindicate us one day. Thank You. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 