When You Are Accused

It is understood that at some point in our lives we will all be accused of wrongdoing. Shame and dishonor are brought against our name when we are innocent. It’s the nature of the world we live in.

David, King of Israel had no shortage of experience with false accusation and betrayal. King Saul sought to take his life, his own son Absalom sought to take his Kingdom, and he was often hated without cause. David sums up the intense feelings of betrayal in Psalm 109: “They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, And fought against me without a cause. In return for my love they are my accusers, But I give myself to prayer. Thus they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love” (Psalm 109:3-5).

David relied on a spiritual tool of prayer. He took his turmoil to God. Christ said in Sermon on the Mount: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,'” (Matthew 5:43-44). Praying for our enemies as David did, for most of us is a mountain to climb. Yet, Christ commands us to do so. And David knew that God would act on his behalf.

If repaying good for evil is God’s command for us, but we accuse others falsely, we place ourselves in danger. Later Psalm 109 expresses the punishment for those who are instruments of accusation: “Set a wicked man over him, And let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is judged, let him be found guilty, And let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few And let another take his office…Let his children be fatherless, And his wife a widow. Let his children continually be vagabonds and beg; Let them seek their bread also from their desolate places. Let the creditor seize all that he has, And let strangers plunder his labor,” (Psalm 109:6-11).

Peter referenced this section as a prophecy of the betrayal of Jesus Christ by Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:16-20). Peter identifies the psalmist with Jesus and sees Judas as the one who deserved the curses after betraying the righteous Son of God. Paul tells us it is a righteous thing for God to repay with tribulation those who trouble God’s people (2 Thessalonians 1:6). In the final analysis, God is the only one able to bless and He is the only one able to curse. For Judas Iscariot, the curse fit his sin.

God’s calling is very high for each of us. Learning to repay evil with good is a struggle, but worth the effort. Praying for our enemies is God’s word in action. Practicing godly principles benefits both the giver and the beneficiary.

Staff