Beware of Accusing

Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbor — Lev. 19:16

I recently received an “open letter” sent from a homeowner in our neighborhood who was falsely accused of having “non-stop” barking dogs in her garage when no one was at home. She wrote, “For the record, we do NOT have any dogs. Whoever orchestrated this accusation in haste without having their facts straight has brought indignation to our family. I find this absolutely despicable and unacceptable… If those frustrated homeowners thought that we were the owners of the dogs, they should have at least confirmed their suspicion by personally talking to us regarding this matter… Falsely accusing someone without substantiation is contemptuous!”

I wholeheartedly agree with this frustrated neighbor. She is absolutely right. As I read her letter, I couldn’t help thinking about what the Bible says about the danger (and harm) of making accusations without having all the facts (see Ex. 25:1; Luke 3:14; 1 Tim. 5:19; Titus 2:3; 2 Pet. 2:11, etc.).

The first mention of the word “accusation” in the Bible is Ezra 4:6. It is an unsubstantiated accusation made to King Ahasuerus against the Jews who were rebuilding the Temple at Jerusalem.

The scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees were constantly laying in wait for Jesus, “seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him” (Luke 11:54).

Many others in the Bible were victims of accusations: Joseph (Gen. 39:14); David (1 Sam. 17:28); Daniel (Dan. 6:24); Stephen (Acts 6:13). The Apostle Paul was falsely accused many times. But his answer was, “Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me” (Acts 24:13).

Satan is called “the accuser of our brethren… which accused them before God day and night” (Rev. 12:10). I, for one, don’t want to be in his company. Before pointing the accusatory finger at someone, be sure you got your facts straight and you are not jumping to conclusions (Prov. 18:13; 30:10).