FIERY DART—— SLANDER!

THE FIERY DART OF SLANDER by Keith Hunt THE ADVERSARY IS WAGING WAR AGAINST THE CHURCH OF GOD. HE IS OUT TO DIVIDE AND DESTROY GOD'S CHILDREN. HIS WEAPONS OF ATTACK ARE MANY - ONE OF THEM IS THE DART OF SLANDER. IN THIS ARTICLE YOU WILL LEARN HOW TO WITHSTAND AND OVERCOME THE SLANDEROUS TONGUE. Here is how the WORLD BOOK DICTIONARY defines slander, "l.a. a false report meant to do harm to the good name and reputation of another ..... b....a spoken statement tending to damage a person's reputation. 2. the spreading of false reports .... to talk falsely about...." The Reader's Digest FAMILY WORD FINDER has this to say about slander, "1 ... defamation, falsehood; malicious fabrication, false statement, distortion, misrepresentation .... 2.... defame, malign, vilify, revile; smear, sully, soil, besmirch .... Usage note: Slander and libel both refer to defamation or unjustified attack on a person's reputation. A slander is spoken: Did you bear him slander me in front of my friends? A libel is written (published) or broadcast: I'm suing the newspaper for libel. Remember: Slander is SPOKEN, Libel is LITERARY." Slander is obviously covered by the 9th commandment which states, "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor". It is a SIN to slander. Any sin begins in the heart and those whose heart is not filled with God's Spirit will sin the more (Luke 6:45). Some people are addicted to slander just like some are addicted to alcohol or drugs. God speaks pretty plainly to those who slander, "But unto the WICKED God says .... you give your mouth to evil, and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son " (Ps.50:16-20 KJV, emphasis mine). Those who slander others are manifesting an outward sign of a deeper inward sin - hatred. David cried out, "Hold not your peace, 0 God of my praise; For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me; they have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause" (Ps.109:1-3 KJV and emphasis mine throughout unless otherwise stated). Some of the people who indulge in slander are often those whom the Bible terms as "hypocrites" - see Prov.11:9. A hypocrite is a "play actor", pretending to be something he/she is not, often putting on a "good front" of being a nice person or a loyal friend, when the truth of the matter is they are knifing you in the back when your not looking. Those who are caught in the addiction of a slanderous tongue shall reap a fearful end if not repented of; "Why boastest you yourself in mischief ..... Your tongue devises mischief; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. You love evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness ... You love all devouring words, 0 you deceitful tongue. God shall likewise destroy you for ever, He shall take you away, and pluck you out of the land of the living...." (Ps.52:1-5). SLANDER AMONG THE PEOPLE OF GOD Because slander is such an evil and destructive sin, you would think that God's people would have little trouble with it, that slanderous talk among the children of God would be practically non existent. But such was not the case in the early New Testament Church of God. Peter found it necessary to say this in his letter to the elect, "..... be you all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing .... For he that will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace and ensue it"(1 Pet.3:8-11). Paul had to tell the Church at Ephesus, "Let all bitterness and indignation and wrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment (anger, animosity) and quarrelling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will or baseness of any kind) " (Eph.4:31 Amplified Bible). Now fancy being a part of that congregation with all that going on. It must have been a problem with some or Paul would not have admonished them to banish such conduct from their lives. Paul instructed Titus to, "Remind people ..... to slander or abuse or speak evil of no one.."(Titus 3:1-2 Amplified Bible). Peter was inspired to write, "So be done with every trace of wickedness (depravity, malignity) and all deceit and insincerity (pretence, hypocrisy) and grudges (envy, jealousy) and slander and evil speaking of every kind" (1 Pet.2:1 Amplified Bible). Paul told Titus to speak those things that were sound doctrine to the aged men and women. One of those points of sound doctrine was for the women to avoid slander. Verse three of Titus 2 is translated this way by the Amplified Bible, "Bid the older women similarly to be reverent and devout in their deportment, as becomes those engaged in sacred service, not slanderers or slaves to drink. They are to give good counsel and be teachers of what is right and noble." Paul also told Timothy that deacons and deaconesses were not to be doubletongued or slanderers (1 Tim. 3:8-11). The people that James wrote to also had problems with slander. He had to admonish them, "(My) brethren, do not speak evil about or accuse one another. He that maligns a brother or judges his brother is maligning and criticizing the Law and judging the Law.... (James 4:11 Amplified Bible). The word malign and slander are synonyms. Libel, we learned earlier, is with the pen - Slander is with the tongue. While we are in the book of James it will be well worth our time to again read what James had to say about that "little member" of ours - the tongue - in chapter 3 and verses 2 to 18. The little tongue can indeed be a "world of iniquity" reaping great havoc upon peoples lives if not controlled. Notice these sober verses of scripture - Job.5:21; Ps.140:3; Ecc.10:11; Prov.11:9; Ecc.10:13; Matt.12:36. EXAMPLES OF SLANDER The Bible has many examples of the slanderous tongue, and what the result was for the innocent and/or for the slanderer. Joseph, one of the twelve sons of Jacob or Israel, found himself in Egypt as the servant of Potiphar - an officer of Pharaoh. This officer was a wise man and soon recognized that God was with Joseph in all that he put his hand to do. Soon Joseph was made overseer over the entire household of Potiphar. There was complete trust on the part of Potiphar towards Joseph. Then things began to turn against Joseph - pick it up in Gen.39:7, "And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me." Potiphar's wife wanted Joseph to go to bed with her. But he refused saying, "There is none greater in this house than I; neither has he kept back any thing from me but you, because you are his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" verse 9. Joseph was completely innocent - she was tempting him to have sex with her but he was having nothing to do with it - he was not going to hurt his master or sin against his God. But this woman was not going to give up that easy, she day by day, tried to tempt Joseph into bed with her. Then one day when he was alone in the house she caught hold of him and tried to force her way upon him. Joseph pulled himself away and ran like a fox being chased by hounds, out of the house, but she was successful in hanging on to one of his outer garments as he fled from her. Oh boy, was she angry and wild, like a cat on a hot tin roof. She was going to get his wagon. How dare he refuse her advances. She summoned the other servants and to them she cried "rape", verses 13 to 15. When her husband came home she again started her slander against Joseph (v.16-18). Potiphar believed the story his wife told him about Joseph. It would seem he never went to the horses mouth to get the truth from Joseph, but with anger cast Joseph into prison (v.19-20). What Potiphar's wife had said about Joseph was a complete lie - a 100% false story she made up because she was hating him for not complying with her wishes. People will do drastic things when filled with resentment and hate. The consequences of this slander for Joseph was a prison sentence. Yet God was able to turn about this hardship and trial for Joseph into further honor and glory. The ultimate result was one of triumph for Joseph, as the following chapters of Genesis show. There were times when God dealt with slander in no uncertain way. One of those times was when God told Moses to send men to search out the land of Canaan. This story is found in Numbers chapter 13 - 14:38. These men were to spy out the land, to see if the people who dwelt there were strong or weak, whether the land was good or bad, if the people dwelt in tents or strong holds. They were to see if the land was "fat or lean" and if it contained wood or not (Num.13:1-20). Forty days they searched out the land and then returned. They brought back proof that the land was flowing with milk and honey - much luscious fruit. But when it came to describing the men of the land, they all except Joshua and Cabel lied and greatly exaggerated their strength and stature. They said, "...ALL the people that we saw in it are men of GREAT STATURE. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight "(Num.13:32,33). Yes, there probably were some men of great stature, but certainly not ALL as they tried to make out. And the sons of Anak maybe were giants, but they greatly exaggerated in their "grasshopper" analogy. Slander is not only out and out lies, but also it includes exaggerations. So effective was the slander of these men, the whole camp of Israel save a few, rose up to murmuring and complaints against God, to the point where the Lord was ready to "smite them with the pestilence and disinherit them" and make of Moses a great nation - chapter 14 verses 1-12. Moses interceded on behalf of Israel so the Lord changed His mind about the destruction He thought to bring upon those faithless and rebellious people. Yet they who were led astray by the slander and murmured would be punished - they would die in the wilderness and not enter the promised land (verses 14-35). As for those men who led Israel to sin against the Lord, it is written, "And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a SLANDER upon the land, Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the Lord (verses 36,37). The evil results of slander can be devastating! Notice how God told Israel to deal with slander from a new husband against his bride: "If a man takes a wife and, after lying with her, dislikes her and slanders her and gives her a bad name, saying, 'I married this woman, but when I approached her, I did not find proof of her virginity,' then the girl's father and mother shall bring proof that she was a virgin to the town elders at the gate. The girl's father will say to the elders, 'I gave my daughter in marriage,to this man, but he dislikes her. Now he has slandered her and said, I did not find your daughter to be a virgin, but here is proof of my daughter's virginity.' Then her parents shall display the cloth before the elders of the town, and the elders shall take the man and punish him. They shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give them to the girl's father, because this man has given an Israelite virgin a bad name. She shall continue to be his wife; he must not divorce her as long as he lives " (Deut.22:13-19 NIV children's edition). Slander is not "just a little white lie" to be taken lightly; it can have very grave results for the person being slandered. Ahab was king in Samaria, and one day he coveted the vineyard close to his palace that belonged to a man called Naboth. Ahab asked Naboth to sell or exchange his vineyard for another, so Ahab could have his. But he refused to do so and Ahab went home and sulked (1 Kings 21:1-4). It was not long until his wife Jezebel found out why Ahab was sulking, and came up with a plan that would secure the vineyard Ahab wanted. "So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, placed his seal on them, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth's city with him. In those letters she wrote: 'Proclaim a day of fasting and seat Naboth in a prominent place among the people. But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them testify that he has cursed both God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.' So the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth's city did as Jezebel directed in the letters she had written to them. They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth in a prominent place among the people. Then two scoundrels came and sat opposite him and brought charges against Naboth before the people, saying, 'Naboth has cursed both God and the king.' So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death. Then they sent word to Jezebel: 'Naboth has been stoned and is dead.'"(1 Kings 21:8-14 NIV children's edition). The saying "sticks and stones can break my bones but names will never hurt me" may be true in one sense, but then again in another sense - names of slander - they can kill - literally! Slander and libel come from a heart and mind filled with resentment, animosity, and hate, and/or a heart of jealousy or revenge. The sinless one Himself - the perfect one - our Savior Christ Jesus, did not escape the slanderers tongue. He was charged by some to be a vinebibber (alcoholic) and a gluttonous man - Matt.11:19. He was accused of being possessed by a devil - John 8:48,52; 10:20. Some claimed Jesus was seditious - Luke 22:65; 23:5. And He was said to have blasphemed - Mark 14:64; John 5:18. Of course none of these accusations were true, yet some carnal minded people told others that Jesus was guilty of these things. They probably were willing to "cross by heart and hope to die" to those they told these stories to, and no doubt many who listened to them pricked up their ears and said, "Is that so, I did not know that, thank you so much for telling me. Now I know to stay away from that evil man." Those who believed such false statements about Christ, probably never thought of going to Jesus Himself and asking Him if such stories were true. Instead of getting it straight from the horses mouth, they merrily went their way being sure they now had the truth about this guy who claimed to be the Son of God. One of the evils of slander or libel is that OTHERS WILL BELIEVE IT as "the gospel truth" and will never find the real truth - they will believe a lie and have pleasure in unrighteousness (2 Thes.2:7-12). Many a true minister of God, while zealously doing the work of the Lord, have been accused by their enemies of this or that evil, and/or preaching false doctrines. This happened to Paul many times in his life - sometimes the slander against him nearly resulted in his death. When Paul was in Jerusalem on one occasion, ".... the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him. Crying out, 'Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teaches all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place(Paul was slandered as to what he taught): and FURTHER brought Greeks also into the temple, and has polluted this holy place(slandered concerning his actions)'. For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they SUPPOSED(in the imagination of their dark twisted minds) that Paul had brought into the temple. And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut. And as they vent about to kill him(slander resulting in a lynch mob), tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that ALL Jerusalem was IN AN UPROAR. Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they(the lynch mob) saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left BEATING of Paul" (Acts 21:27-32 emphasis and comments mine). If the chief captain had not intervened, Paul would probably have been killed. All because some jealous, hate filled, power hungry men had slandered his name. Slander is nothing to be laughed at. THE EFFECTS OF SLANDER As we have seen, defamation of character, falsehood, malicious fabrication, distortion, misrepresentation - in a single word, SLANDER - can have deadly results. Grievous wounds can be the end result of slander; "The words of a talebearer (those who indulge in slander and libel) are as wounds, they go down into the innermost parts of the belly" (Prov.18:8 added comment mine). Many who have been slandered can attest to the fact that literal physical sickness can come upon the innocent party from the results of the falsehood that many believe and the actions they take. Those that indulge in malicious fabrication and talebearing, will usually cause much strife among people; "Where no wood is, there the fire goes out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceases" (Prov.26:20). We have already seen from some of the examples left us in the Bible about slander, that physical death can be the end result for the one being slandered. King David came near to experiencing this effect of one of Satan's darts. He wrote in Psalm 31 and verse 13, "For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life." This wounderous and deadly arrow from the bow of the adversary, can cause discord among brethren and separate friends; "A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends" (Prov. 16:28). So devastatingly harmful is a false statement/distortion - a slander/libel - that it effected the list of seven abominations that God hates! "These six things does the Lord hate: yes, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that devises wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaks lies, and he that sows discord among brethren" (Prov.6:16-19). Notice - slander/libel - is covered TWICE in those seven abominations that the Lord hates. THE END RESULT OF THE SLANDERER To those who are wise and will listen, God says, "He that hides hatred with lying lips, and he that utters a slander, is a FOOL" (Prov.10:18). Why is a person foolish who partakes of the slandering tongue? The Lord tells you why in verse 21 of this same chapter in Proverbs, "The lips of the righteous feed many: but FOOLS die for want of wisdom." The end result of those who will not repent of using slander and libel is - DEATH! Jeremiah was sent by God to warn Judah of death and captivity if they did not repent of their sins, but they would not listen or believe the words he spoke. Instead they devised to attack him with their tongues, no doubt this included maligning him, defamation of character, besmirching, and false statements. This is what is written in Jeremiah 18, "They said, 'Come, let's make plans against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest will not be lost, nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. So come, let's attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says'(verse 18). In response to this Jeremiah cried out to God, 'Listen to me, O Lord; hear what my accusers are saying ..... Remember that I stood before you and spoke in their behalf to turn your wrath away from them ..... they have dug a pit to capture me and have hidden snares for my feet. But you know, 0 Lord, all their plots to kill me. Do not forgive their crimes or blot out their sins from your sight. Let them be overthrown before you; deal with them in the time of your anger'"(verses 19-23). God will destroy with death those who will not repent of practicing slander, for it is written, "Whoso privily slanders his neighbor, him will I cut off"(Ps.101:5). And, "Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loves and makes a lie" (Rev. 22:14,15). WHAT THE CHRISTIAN CAN DO ABOUT SLANDER 1. DO NOT LISTEN TO SLANDER King Saul of Israel often tried to kill David (the man God had chosen to replace Saul as king over Israel). This led David to become a fugitive on the run. On one occasion it was told Saul that David and his men were in the wilderness of Engedi (1 Sam. 24:1). As we read on in this 24th chapter of first Samuel, we find Saul stopping at a cave when nature called him to relieve himself. What he didn't know at the time was that David and his men were inside the cave. David's men wanted to kill Saul but David would have no part of such an idea, saying, "...The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord"(verse 6). David did cut off a portion of Saul's outer garment without him knowing about it. There was never a time when David was seeking to kill or hurt Saul, yet some had told Saul that David was planning to physically harm him. Notice what David said to Saul after he had left the cave, "David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, 'My lord the king.' And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself. And David said to Saul, 'Wherefore hearest you men's words, saying, Behold, David seeks your hurt?'" (verses 8,9). Saul was willing to listen to people saying false statements about David. And in essence, David was telling Saul not to listen to such slander. The Christian should not entertain for one moment, known slanderous statements about another person. And if it is not known if such statements are true or not, the Christian should not listen to second or third hand gossip, but should if he feels it absolutely necessary, go directly to the horses mouth - to the person themselves for the truth. 2. THE SLANDERER MAY HAVE TO BE REBUKED "The north wind drives away rain: so does an angry countenance a backbiting tongue" (Prov.25:23). There may arise a time when a slanderer must be dealt with in a loving but firm manner. 3. A CHRISTIAN SHOULD KEEP HIMSELF FROM SLANDER AND LIBEL "Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking guile" (Ps.34:13). If every single person entering the Church of God was truly and deeply filled with the Holy Spirit at all times, there would never be any slander in the body of Christ. But the truth of the matter is, unconverted people do sit in the Churches of God, and converted people are not always filled with God's Spirit. Nevertheless, as Christians we are admonished and instructed over and over again by the word of the Lord, to control what comes out of our mouth, to put a break or a straight jacket on our tongue. We are instructed to, "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man" (Col.4:6). If we remember that it is from the heart and mind of a person that the mouth speaks, and if we fill that heart and mind with truth and goodness, we will have little or no trouble with having a slanderous tongue. As the apostle Paul said, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of a good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, THINK ON THESE THINGS " (Phil.4:8 emphasis mine). ................ Written in 1991