Have you ever been falsely accused of something that you hadn’t done? Most of us have at one time or another. For some it may be something small, like eating a cookie before dinner, and if one gets an undeserved punishment, it would likely be small. However, some have been falsely accused by others of much greater things, and the resulting consequences are larger. False accusations can be devastating in many ways. Sometimes the consequences may be as harsh as imprisonment. It could mean the loss of a job, or the very painful loss of formerly good friends. It is definitely not pleasant to be falsely accused of something. Our psalm for this week finds David in such a predicament. Let’s see what he did when some disastrous and wounding accusations started swirling around him.
David does not indicate what specific event in his life this psalm references. Though he was a popular and a generally loved king, he still had many enemies. This psalm could have applied to many times throughout his life, from the many years as a young man when he was on the run from false accusations that King Saul believed about him, to the false accusations his son Absalom told many people when he made his coup attempt against his father.
What did David do when he was confronted with these accusations? Did he take retaliation? He could have, since as the king, an absolute monarch, his word was law, and he could punish as he wished. Even when he was on the run from King Saul, David was the head of a significant group of armed men and followers, who were like a skilled private army. At most times in his adult life, David could have taken vengeance and retaliation against any who came against him, however he didn’t. Instead, David came to the Lord with his grievances.
As the psalm opens, David prayed to the Lord, asking for His vindication, as he knew that he was innocent of the false accusations leveled against him (vs. 1-2). If he took things into his own hands, David could not say to the Lord that he had walked in integrity, nor to honestly have put his trust in the Lord, as his trust would have been in himself. That is so often what we do when faced with a similar situation. Our mind often runs immediately to think of ways we can vindicate ourselves and retaliate against our enemies. When doing so, our plans might easily stray into behavior that is just as sinful as those who we are fighting against. Instead, we should leave that completely in the Lord’s hands.
As mentioned, when taking matters into our own hands, this can easily lead into sinful behavior and actions. We need to do right when we’ve been done wrong. As David knew, when he would come before the Lord in prayer and worship, he needed to have a slate that was clear from all sins. As we read later in the Book of Psalms, God’s Word says that if we have iniquity or sin in our heart, the Lord will not hear us (Psalm 66:18). When our enemies bring false accusations, trust in the Lord, as vengeance belongs to Him, and He promises to repay (Deuteronomy 32:35).
As David continued in this psalm, he knew that to remain in a godly standing, he needed to be careful with whom he spent his time (vs. 4-5). Sinful and ungodly companions, those who are opposed to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, will bring our behavior down from righteous and godly actions, to those ungodly actions of their own. Believers should never try to be like one of the ungodly, nor should we keep them as our companions. Doing so harms our witness, and leads to corruption in our character.
David prayed that God would “prove him”, that He would test and check to see that he was abiding in His ways (vs. 2). Can we pray the same? If we ask God to “prove” us, are we abiding in the Word of God, and not in a man-made gospel, in falsehood, in the ways of the ungodly? God does make a distinction between those who have come to Him for salvation and those who haven’t, between believers who are His children, and the unbelievers, who are not. There is a distinction between the godly and the wicked (vs. 9-11). When faced with a challenge and temptation to take things into our own hands, which leads to sinful actions, will we go that route, or will we, like David did, leave it with the Lord? Let’s trust in Jesus, keep ourselves pure in His sight, and let Him vindicate us.
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