Another excerpt from "Cries Against the Shepherds": THE ACCUSER Gossip and slander have been around since Adam and Eve listened to the first devilish charges leveled against God. Unfounded and unsubstantiated allegations devastate their target. That is why they are so often employed by the “Father of Lies.” Slanderous claims produce crippling fear in the accused one’s heart, and they create tremendous self-doubt in sincere leaders: Am I crazy? Did I really do that? How could this be happening? Why would people believe this? Have I failed so miserably? The Devil is aptly named “the Accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10). The Bible says a great deal about slander and accusation, and how often they are used by our Adversary to cripple the Church. The Enemy of the Church knows the principle of striking down the shepherd and scattering the sheep. We celebrate Moses as an excellent role-model, yet Moses drew disproportionate amounts of criticism and opposition. Though the Bible calls him the most humble of men, he faced the strongest accusations from elders and fellow leaders who decided that he thought too highly of himself. Throughout the exodus, Moses’ followers leveled charge after charge against him because of their “greedy desires” (Numbers 11:4) and their foolish compulsion to return to a familiar place of bondage (14:1-4). Miriam and Aaron, two prophetic and priestly leaders who should have known better, “spoke against” Moses because they did not approve of his choice to marry Zipporah (Numbers 12:1-2). Not long afterwards, several well-known and highly respected leaders rose up in complaint against Moses because they thought he had assumed a leadership position above everyone else (Numbers 16:1-3). The accusations were not spawned by anything Moses had done, but by what the accusers had concluded about him. In addition, Joseph’s brothers came to conclusions about his motives and self-image, and had it not been for one brother’s intervention, they would have murdered him. Absalom usurped David’s rule by claiming that David was insensitive to people’s legitimate needs. The list of leaders in the Bible who underwent accusation and opposition by those they served is quite long. That is no accident of history! As they have from the earliest days of ministry, crippling accusations will come against spiritual leaders who dare “to seek the welfare of the sons of Israel” (Nehemiah 2:10). Just as Sanballat invented private and public indictments to intimidate Nehemiah, hoping to back him away from his ministry (Nehemiah 4:2-14), so our Enemy still plots against spiritual leaders today.
Posted on: Thu, 10 Oct 2013 15:07:06 +0000