Slander Handler
Slander is one of the most insidious sins of all. Deliberately spreading lies and falsehoods against someone to ruin their life, reputation, and relationships is a great evil. When this sin occurs in the context of church and ministry, the impact is even more pronounced. Satan, the serpent he is, loves to poison minds and create division within the kingdom of God.
In the Digital Age, the ease of communication can cause slander to spread at an exponential rate. FaceTime, WhatsApp, Zoom, texts, emails, etc., fly around at the speed of light. The relatively secretive nature of these forms of communication also removes precautions that might ordinarily slow someone down. After all, in a generation, we have gone from having to drive to see someone, pay per minuter for long-distance calls, or put a stamp on an envelope to interact with those who live at a distance from us; now, we are able in real-time to communicate with anyone around the world.
Though this post could serve as a warning against slander, instead, it addresses what to do if you believe you are a victim of this sin. Recently, in teaching a class on preaching from the Psalms, I had students prepare messages from those Psalms that reflected David's life. We noted that David was often the victim of slander. In looking at how he dealt with it, five helpful principles emerge for handling slander, as one might do with a venomous snake.
Guard your mouth against your own poisonous speech. When you hear evil reports spread about you, the immediate urge is to respond in like manner. Yet biting a snake back is just a good way to get further hurt and entangled in sin. The faithful believer "does not slander with his tongue" (Ps. 15:1). The godly person knows that David's words are the proper way of holiness.
I said, “I will keep watch over my ways
So that I do not sin with my tongue;
I will keep watch over my mouth as with a muzzle
While the wicked are in my presence.” (Ps. 39:1)
As Spurgeon said, "Think much, but say little; be quick at work and slow at talk; and above all, ask the great Lord to set a watch over your lips.” You must muzzle your mouth to have time to "watch over your ways" in the following manner.
Ask the Lord to search you for hurtful ways. Psalm 139 is known for its beautiful words regarding the Lord's ever-present, all-knowing ways with the believer. Whether one flees to heaven or the depths of the sea, the Lord is with us. He formed us in our mother's womb, so he knows what our inmost being is like and what we need. Yet the comforting words of this psalm are set in the context of evil men surrounding him with wicked speech.
If only You would put the wicked to death, God;
Leave me, you men of bloodshed.
For they speak against You wickedly,
And Your enemies take Your name in vain. (Ps. 139:19-20)
David then asks the Lord the following at the end of the psalm.
Search me, God, and know my heart;
Put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts;
And see if there is any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way. (Ps. 139:23-24)
When we are being slandered, it is a time to self-reflect. Are there kernels of truth in the slander? Would acknowledging them to offended parties help the situation? Though slander is awful, remember that self-justification is deadly. Dealing with slander, as difficult as it is, can lead to honest self-reflection and sanctification.
Cry out to the Lord for your rescue. As Satan sends his fiery darts of slander against you, recognize one of its great benefits. Slander is a call to prayer. As Psalm 120 begins,
I cried to the Lord in my trouble,
And He answered me.
Rescue my soul, Lord, from lying lips,
From a deceitful tongue. (Ps. 120:1-2)
Satan is too wily, sin too powerful, and sinners too scheming for you to extract yourself from slander.
For I have heard the slander of many,
Terror is on every side;
While they took counsel together against me,
They schemed to take away my life. (Ps. 31:13)
Prayer is the antidote to the venom of slander.
But as for me, I trust in You, Lord,
I say, “You are my God.”
My times are in Your hand;
Rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me." (Ps. 31:14-15)
Wait for the Lord to deliver you. During periods of slander, it is tempting to think the trial will soon be over. Yet David's life shows around a decade of Saul and his men lying about him. Experience teaches that slander can take a long time to overcome. As David said, it can feel as if it will never stop.
But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered themselves together;
The afflicted people whom I did not know gathered together against me,
They slandered me without ceasing. (Ps. 35:15)
The believer can begin to doubt whether the slander will ever end.
Do not turn me over to the desire of my enemies,
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And the violent witness. (Ps. 27:12)
Yet the righteous must at these times exercise their faith by waiting on the Lord.
I certainly believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord. (Ps. 27:13-14)
Strengthen your prayers with imprecation. Being the target of slander is also a reminder that you are in a great spiritual battle as a soldier in the church militant. These times call not for timid prayers, but warlike ones. Hear David as he begins his prayer in Psalm 140. We also see here that comparing slander to venom is Biblical.
Rescue me, Lord, from evil people;
Protect me from violent men
Who devise evil things in their hearts;
They continually stir up wars.
They sharpen their tongues like a snake;
The venom of a viper is under their lips. (Ps. 140:1-3)
David not only calls on the Lord to rescue him, but in essence prays "boomerang prayers." In other words, he asks that the evil and traps his slanderers are plotting would end up capturing them instead. After stating this about the wicked,
The proud have hidden a trap for me, and snares;
They have spread a net at the wayside;
They have set snares for me. (Ps. 140:5)
David then asks the Lord,
May they be cast into the fire,
Into bottomless pits from which they cannot rise. (Ps. 140:10)
The Psalms lead us to pray strong prayers. We are called to ask the Lord to do such things as "shatter the teeth of the wicked" (Ps. 3:5), to fulfill his promise that "whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy" (Ps. 101:5), and to bring covenantal curses such as we read in Psalm 109. As we do, our heart is strengthened to ask the Lord for this ultimate prayer answer: "Lord, either destroy your enemies by converting them like you did Paul, who slandered the early church, or remove the wicked from the earth for the evil they are doing to your church."
Now, one final exercise to make this training on handling slander complete. Reread these principles and these verses in this manner. Recall that David was a type of Christ, and the Spirit of Christ was speaking through him in the Psalms (Luke 24:44). As you reflect on these principles and read these verses, think of them as the Lord's way of dealing with the slander he received and the prayers he prayed. For remember, he is the ultimate snake crusher and the true slander handler. As you walk in union with him, he will lead you to be as well.
