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WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE SLANDERED (Psalm 7)

There are few things harder to deal with than being slandered — when you know someone is saying something against you. That is not only unkind. It is untrue. And you feel powerless to do anything about it.

Satan is the great “accuser of our brethren” (Rev. 12:10). He loves to slander. When we slander someone, we're doing the devil’s work. May God deliver us from ever being on that side of it.

Inevitably, if you are trying to do the right thing, somebody is going to speak against you somewhere. Some slander is going to come in life. Psalm 7 was written by David when he was being accused in this way.

He was a man after God’s own heart, which means we know he had a tender spirit. Can you imagine how deeply such an attack must have grieved him? Sensitive souls can get wounded, and I am certain that David was wounded not just physically, but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

The title of Psalm 7 says, “A Shiggaion of David.” That means variable songs, a variety of songs. You know, life songs are variable, aren't they? "Shiggaion" carries the idea of psalms that are swerving or roaming back and forth. Some of them are songs of jubilation and celebration, and others are in the minor chord. Matthew Henry described them as "a wandering song (so some), the matter and composition of the several parts being different, but artificially put together [or] -a charming song (so others), very delightful."

I don’t know which song you are singing today but know that God is able, no matter what the tone happens to be.

Then it says, “which he sang unto the Lord, concerning the words of Cush, the Benjamite.”

It is a reference to a Benjamite in II Samuel 16 who attacked David and made accusations about him to Saul. He said all kinds of vicious, awful, wicked things to him and cursed him. You might imagine that David, as king, would simply order that this man be killed. But that is not what he did. Instead of focusing on the source of cursing and slander, he got his eyes entirely on the Lord. There is a tremendous lesson for us in this.

Listen to the opening words of Psalm 7, in verse 1. “O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me.” His desire was to go straight into the presence of God. We do not know the tone or theme of every psalm, but we know some. The tone of this particular psalm seems to be one of great discouragement. He is struggling, and having a hard time.

The Bible says in II Sam. 16:14, “And the king, and all the people that were with him, came weary, and refreshed themselves there.”

There is perhaps nothing more weary than the slander of someone. No journey is as tiresome as dealing with the lies, no responsibility as burdensome as dealing with some person who is attacking you. It grieves your inner man.

David felt this, and perhaps you are as well. It does not matter what they say about you or to you. It matters what you know to be true about God. Psalm 7 not only points to something in history, in scripture, regarding the life of David -- It also points to something about God.

What do we learn about God? There are many things, and I would challenge you to read all 17 verses to find them. But I think the very first one, in verse 1, is really everything in a nutshell. David put his trust in the Lord. Your God can be trusted.

You cannot always trust someone else, but you can always trust God.

You cannot always trust what people say, but you can always trust the Word of God.

You cannot always trust that those who are near you are always going to be close to you, but you can always trust that God will never leave you or forsake you.

He is the God who can be trusted. No matter what is happening in your life, you can trust Him to take care of it, to straighten it out, to help you through it. You can trust Him to work on the other end. You can trust him.

I think of the Apostle Paul in the New Testament. He was slandered many times, but in II Tim. 4:14 he made this statement: “Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works.” In other words, “A man I should have been able to trust did me wrong. But instead of concentrating on that or trying to straighten it out myself, I’m just going to trust God with it. I’ll leave him in God's hands and believe God will do the right thing, and He will do it better than I could.”

Going back to Psalm 7, I believe there are three simple things that David did when he was slandered. There is a certain order to them, a divine order that we can apply in our own lives.

1. When you are being slandered, talked about, or criticized, search your own heart. That’s right. See if there is any validity to the criticism. Is there something in you that isn't what it ought to be?

David did this in verses 3-5. “O Lord my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands; If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy:) Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.”

He examined his relationship with God first, and then he looked at his relationship with others. We must do the same. Ask the Lord, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23-24). You cannot even think about what someone else has done wrong to you unless you are thoroughly right with God yourself.

David even acknowledged in II Sam. 16:11 that his critic may have been used by God for a reason. “And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more now may this Benjamite do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for the Lord hath bidden him.”

I remember Frank Sales saying years ago, “Thank God for everything the Lord uses to humble you, even if there's no sin there that you need to confess.” If nothing else, it is humbling you and making you realize that you are not everything and God is.

2. After you search your own heart, commit it all to the Lord. That is what David did in Ps. 7:6. “Arise, O Lord, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.” He was saying that he would trust the Lord to step in and take care of the situation.

Finally, he rehearsed once again who God is. Look at verse 10. “My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.” The circumstances had not yet changed, but he went back to what he knew for sure.

3. Meditate on Scripture. Don't sit around sulking all day thinking about your enemy. Think about your God instead. Don’t just talk about the bad; talk about the goodness of your God.

Psalm 7 ends this way in verse 17: “I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high.”

As Lester Roloff said, “Sometimes you can praise your way through things you can’t pray your way through.” Maybe what you need to do is just start praising God for His goodness, faithfulness, and trustworthiness. Praise the Lord in faith today - God is going to take care of you and deal with your enemy.