Over the past few weeks, we have examined several relationship issues, including navigating conflict, preserving unity, and spiritual attacks.
There is a part of us that recognizes that we may deserve something that directly results from our actions or attitudes. But what if you are innocent? False accusations can take many forms, from minor attitudes to significant character issues.
Living through these moments is painful and strains our faith as we grapple with Jesus’ words to walk another mile, give our coats, and turn the other cheek. Our current culture teaches us to do anything we can to get away from relationships that hurt, but the whole of Scripture seems to point us toward patient endurance.
James 1:2-4 “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”
This verse teaches us that if we do not experience trials, we will not grow in our faith.
Here are a few people in Scripture who were falsely accused: Joseph by his brothers, Job by his friends, Jesus by the religious leaders, Judas, and the witnesses brought to his trial. David was also falsely accused by his father-in-law, King Saul. Read that account with me in 2 Sam 24:1-9, 17.
Now, the area around Egadi is full of caves. Some large enough to hold thousands of people. Suddenly, David’s enemy, the King, steps into the exact cave where he and his men are. Saul likely removes his robe so that he can relieve himself. David’s men immediately see the will of God in this and believe Saul is delivered into their hands.
There was one major problem.
God never directed David to kill Saul or seek to remove him from the throne.
David knew that.
So, he took his knife and cut the corner of Saul’s robe. Even this brought guilt to David’s heart because he reached out his knife toward the Lord’s anointed one. Cutting the robe showed great disrespect to King Saul.
We see in our text that many of Saul’s advisors falsely accused David of trying to usurp his throne. This was a false accusation. Yes, it is true God anointed David as the next King, but there is never a place where David tries to force the timing. Instead, he bears the burden of false accusation while respecting God’s “anointed one.”
There is another moment in David’s life that mirrors this account. Many years later, David’s son Absalom seeks to take his father’s throne. With Saul, David will not raise his hand against the Lord’s anointed one. David was aware of God’s choosing Saul, his anointing as king, and the fact that the Spirit came upon Saul, and he prophesied. With his son, he says, what if he is the Lord’s anointed one? So, again, David would not raise a hand against Absalom. In this account, David is falsely accused by his son.
One accuser is in authority over him, and another is family. In our culture, we would cut ties with these people and never interact with them again. We would do everything we could to remove ourselves from the painful situation, crying out, “But I’m Innocent.”
What we may fail to recognize amid trials such as these is the sovereign hand of God, shaping us into His very image. He is refining us, remaking us, and cutting away the things that are not of Him. It’s hard, it hurts, and we do not like it. But what if it is God’s way? What if God seeks a heart of brokenness and humility, and what if God has placed that person over us to bring about that end?
David knew that God had not told him to kill Saul. If he had assassinated Saul, David’s throne would always be overshadowed by insecurity and his reign by illegitimacy. David submitted to the position that Saul held as King, not to the man who, at this point, was going mad.
How, then, do we handle accusations when we are innocent?
First, begin with prayer.
Douglas McKelvey writes this prayer in the second volume of his series, Every Moment Holy, “O Spirit of God, when I feel the urge to express my pain in anger directed at another, restrain my tongue, reframe my frustration, stay my hands, reign in my heart, fill me afresh with your grace. Let me see and name my own emotion rightly. For at the root of this mess is the good, deep, and heartbreaking desire for reunion. And my anger cannot achieve that end.”
Second, seek to reconcile.
Third, ask for counsel from a spiritual leader.
Fourth, be obedient to the Word of God.
Fifth, wait on God.
Walking through seasons of false accusation is excruciatingly hard, but Jesus may be working in you and through you amid your pain.
Authors Note: Adapted from my sermon by the same name, preached July 14, 2024, at C3AG Louisville.
Through Time 