Slander

Day three hundred fifty-two

I prayed for a Sabbath filled with opportunities to feel the Spirit.  It has been a rough week and I need it!

Psalm 7

“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”. ~ Pres. Lincoln

Psalm 7 finds David talking to God about a man named Cush who has spoken badly about him.  We call it slander;  a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report.  Slander is a result of the fact that President Lincoln's quote is true.  There will always be someone you just can't please.  So what do we do about it?

David gives us a few simple steps to follow:

Put the problem into God’s hand. Give it time. (v 1)

“Have patience awhile; slanders are not long-lived. Truth is the child of time; ere long she shall appear to vindicate thee.” ~Immanuel Kant (1724–1804)

Keep the proper perspective. (vv 3-5) 

"Robert Cook, President of King’s College once related a true story from the early years of his ministry.  Evidently at that time he had been receiving some rather pointed criticism.  In fact, it had become of such great concern to him that he sought the counsel of a friend, the beloved Bible expositor and pastor, Harry A. Ironside.  Pouring out his heart, Bob Cook asked what he should do about the denunciations being made against him.  He wanted to know how to handle them.  Ironside gave the following wise counsel: “Bob, if the criticism about you is true, mend your ways!  If it isn’t, forget about it!” (Brian Bill) 

We need to be careful about listening to slander about ourselves or another person:

“Close your ear against him who opens his mouth against another. If you receive not his words, they fly back and wound him. If you receive them, they fly forward and wound you.” ~ Francis Quarles (1592–1644)

Leave the judging to God. God knows how to judge us. (vv 6-8)

"When we see a brother or sister in sin, there are two things we do not know: First, we do not know how hard he or she tried not to sin. And second, we do not know the power of the forces that assailed him or her. We also do not know what we would have done in the same circumstances." ~ F.B. Meyer 

Know that we have an advocate in Jesus Christ.  (v 10)

"My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:" 1 John 2:1

Trust Him enough that we can praise Him instead of being focused on being slandered. (vv 11-17)

"To trust Him means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way,a less worried way." C.S. Lewis

I never really thought about this Psalm much before, but I have found it to be very useful. It never ceases to amaze me how the scriptures are filled with the information I need to get through certain situations in my life.  I think most of us at some point will fight with overcoming slander, isn't it nice to know that the Lord has given us the instructions we need to get through it with grace!