Answering Accusations
by Lenn Zeller, Director of Conference Care
For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful
Have opened against me;
They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And fought against me without cause.
In return for my love they are my accusers,
But I give myself to prayer. (Psalm 109:2–4 NKJV)
The language in Psalm 109, quoted above, uses the legal terminology of that day. It is quite likely that the psalmist was a defendant in a courtroom setting. What charges were being leveled against him is unknown, as the psalm itself does not say. But it appears that someone is making some kind of civil or even criminal complaint against the author. Furthermore, according to the psalm, the charges are deceitful, without cause and totally fabricated. According to the New Geneva Study Bible footnote for the above poem, the “psalmist stands before a corrupt court falsely accused of a crime.” To make matters even worse, the accuser is evidently someone whom the psalmist had treated with much love and kindness. His attackers were once his friends! But they have returned his love with evil and hatred.
What an uncomfortable place to be! What heartache, inner turmoil and anxiety such a predicament must have caused. The psalmist makes no effort to hide his strong feelings against those who bring these contrived charges against him. Clearly he is hurt, confused and angry. Who wouldn’t be, in similar circumstances? But whereas many of us would be sorely tempted to lash out, to respond in kind, or to go on the attack in defense, notice what the psalmist did… he gave himself to prayer! In return for my love they are my accusers, but I give myself to prayer. (Psalm 109:4)
The psalmist responded to the unfair attacks of his friends by taking his heartache to the Lord, openly pouring out his hurt and anger before God and then resting in the Lord’s sovereign judgment. The desire for vengeance and judgment against the false accusers expressed in the psalm is quite understandable. Who has not had similar feelings when unfairly blamed and condemned?
Oh, that our response would be that of the psalmist… that we would not lash out in self-defense and retribution, but would turn to God in prayer. Oh, that we would express those feelings and even that anger to God in prayer, but then steadfastly rest in God’s sovereign wisdom and justice. How often does our reaction to the wrongs of others serve only to inflame the situation and escalate the conflict?
After all, how did our Savior respond when falsely accused, with even His life on the line? As Isaiah so poetically said it,
He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth. (Isaiah 53:7 NKJV)
One of our Seven Guiding Values in the CCCC is to build a culture of believing prayer and intercession. How powerful our witness to the community would be and how close our fellowship if we were to overlook the offenses of our brothers and sisters against us, refuse to respond in kind and give ourselves instead to prayer, trusting our lives and our reputation to the sovereign God who loves us and who has promised to work all things for the good of those who love Him.
