Shamed but Not Shaken: Trusting God in the Face of False Accusation
Have you ever been in a situation where someone wants to make you look bad to justify their attitude or position? In recent years as I read and watch human interaction on social media and even on various news outlets, it seems that many posts and stories are intended to reveal some hidden discovery that makes someone look bad. If we can make another look bad, then we weaken their voice and their arguments or positions. It is as if we want to shout, “Aha! See, I knew it!” or “I told you!” in order to shame people who have different positions than we have. Christians are not immune from this behavior.
All the way back in the Old Testament this tactic was used. In Psalm 70:3 the psalmist prayed, “Let them turn back because of their shame who say, ‘Aha, aha.’” The psalmist prayed that God would rescue him from those who were always chiding and speaking to bring embarrassment and harm on him.
One verse earlier the psalmist pleaded that God would “let them be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt!” It is painful when someone relentlessly lies about someone and seeks to bring them harm and shame. In Psalm 70 we can feel the intensity of the psalmist as they prayed that God would come quickly and rescue him from harm. We do not know the details of this torment and agony described in this psalm, but it is clear that the psalmist believed he could not overcome this difficulty without the quick intervention of the Lord.
In Psalm 40:15 we find these same words: “Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, ‘Aha, aha!’” There is nothing good about seeking the malicious shame of another person. David prayed that God would bring relief and that his enemies would be corrected or held accountable for their behaviors.
One thing we can learn from this psalm is that there are times when we will be attacked and shamed by others. When that happens, instead of attacking back and seeking to shame the other person or group, it is far better to cry out to God for his divine intervention. We also see in both Psalm 70 and Psalm 40 that we don’t have to hold back in expressing the urgency we have in needing God’s help. God isn’t bothered by our insistence that he intervene. Contrary to the opinion of some psychologists, our dependency on God is not weakness. We are actually invoking God’s strength when we admit our weakness.
In studying this psalm I came across a poem written by Bonhoeffer while in prison. It is an interesting reflection of someone who was suffering in prison, but to the outsiders who revered him they saw him as calm and at peace while he described himself as in urgent need of help and desperately longing for God’s help. Take a minute and read this poem. I think it helps us gain perspective that even those whose faith we admire so much also struggled just as we do. Their strength and maturity came from their deep dependency on God as their only hope.
Father, today we lift up those we know who are desperate for your intervention. Give us the courage in every season of distress to never hold back but to cry out to you for your deliverance and strength. We surrender those who seek to harm us or your kingdom to your justice and to your mercy. Give us strength to endure our suffering while we confidently await your rescue. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Psalm 70:1-5 ESV
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