“Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:” (1 Pet. 2:23)
One of the most challenging things to do in our lives is to follow the example of Jesus Christ when we are reviled, slandered, and bore false witness against. The Savior did not render railing for railing (1 Pet. 3:9), but as a lamb dumb before his shearer, he opened not his mouth (Isaiah 53:7). Instead of defending himself against every false witness, Christ “committed himself to him that judgeth righteously”. We see from Christ, Stephen, and Paul’s examples that false witnesses are a house of cards that will eventually fold in upon themselves. As with Christ, the false witnesses did not agree together and even Pilate could see these were just unfounded lies. If we commend ourselves over to the righteous judgment of the Lord, then he will ensure that the lies of the devil collapse under their own weight and our righteous character is defended.
The word “reviled” in 1 Pet. 2:23 means “to reproach, to vilify, rail at, revile, heap abuse upon”. It is so contrary to human nature to remain silent and not verbally defend ourselves when we are reviled and obvious false witnesses are hurled. Our human nature wants to set the record straight, and there is certainly a place to defend ourselves when blatantly false things are said about us or others in our presence. However, we cannot run down every false rumor and reviling that we might hear attached to our name in the grapevine or telephone game. That is why Pilate “marveled” (Mark 15:5) that Jesus remained silent when these obvious lies were hurled against Christ. It is a great witness – even to the wicked like Pilate – when we show integrity when we are falsely accused and let the Lord answer for us instead of us getting emotional and saying something we shouldn’t say in the moment defending ourselves. Despite all the false witnesses against Christ, even Pilate could see their inconsistency and declared Jesus innocent multiple times before succumbing to political pressure to crucify Christ. What happened when Christ committed himself to God who judges righteously when he was reviled? He was declared innocent even from the mouth of a wicked man in Pilate. God defended the integrity and honor of Christ, and God is faithful to entrust our integrity and honor over to him to defend us as well.
The devil is the father of lies. Every lie is stimulated and initiated and originated from Satan. “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (John 8:44) The enemies of Christ – those who were of the devil, of the father of lies in John 8:44 – sought out false witnesses to accuse Christ. The way these men framed the false witnesses gives us great insight into the deception of Satan in slander and gossip. “And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none. [56] For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together. [57] And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying, [58] We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands. [59] But neither so did their witness agree together.” (Mark 14:55-59) “But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, [61] And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.” (Matt. 26:60-61) These false witnesses did not just fabricate a statement that Jesus didn’t make. Instead, they twisted his own words to present an inaccurate picture of what he was saying and meaning. Jesus did say he was able to destroy the temple of God and raise it in three days, but he spoke of the temple of his body, not the literal structure of the temple in Jerusalem (John 2:19-21). Satan is the master of deception and craftiness. He stirred up these men to deceptively misrepresent the true words of Jesus. That is why in the mouth of 2-3 witnesses every word should be established. If those 2-3 who all heard or saw the same event do not agree together, they prove that their witness is not true, but false. That was the case of the false witnesses against Christ. The 2-3 witnesses were not consistent, and thus the lies of Satan folded in on themselves as a crumbling house of cards.
The deacon, Stephen, had such a blessed speaking gift that “they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.” (Acts 6:10) The wicked leaders in Jerusalem – stirred up by Satan – saw Stephen winning over the people and then tried to silence him because their lies could not stand up against his truth. What did they do? They set up false witnesses against him. “And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law: [14] For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.” (Acts 6:13-14) Again, we see the deceptive tactics of the father of lies. Satan does not fully fabricate a statement. He twists the words of Stephen to portray an incorrect meaning and intent. He never said Jesus would destroy this place, but rather quoting the words of Jesus about the temple of his body and also an application that the primary temple would now be the temple of your bodies. He never said that the church was to change the customs which Moses delivered. No, he simply would have quoted Jesus’ words that Christ came to fulfill all the law, and we are not under those customs anymore; we are under grace, not the law.
What was the effect when these wicked men suborned false witnesses against Stephen? “And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.” (Acts 6:15) Wow, what an amazing validation of Stephen’s character who committed himself to God who judges righteously! God made his face to shine like an angel to all there but particularly to those in the council who suborned perjury and false witnesses against him. However, we also see a pattern here that as we commit ourselves to him that judges righteously, that does not mean all will be smooth and easy. God validated the innocence of Christ and Stephen against slander, but they also were both murdered by their enemies who loved darkness rather than light. God validated the innocence of Paul too (as we will see), but he remained imprisoned. So when we commit ourselves to God who judges righteously, we certainly hope we do not lose our life or be imprisoned, but our character might be assassinated in certain circles when men do not test the validity of the false witnesses, but just blindly believe anything they hear. However, we cannot control that. Those men who bear or suborn false witnesses will not be judged by me, but by God who always judges righteously. We should be content to entrust our defense to the One who always judges righteously and who is able to properly defend us against all false witnesses.
The apostle Paul was falsely accused by his wicked detractors as well, who were stirred up by Satan. When arriving in Jerusalem, Paul was originally accused of “teaching all the Jews to forsake Moses, saying they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after their customs.” (Acts 21:21) I’m sure Paul taught the Jews that the greater circumcision is of the heart by the Spirit, not of the flesh, but I’m sure he didn’t forbid them from circumcising their children. Paul certainly would have said the customs of the law were no longer necessary since Christ fulfilled the law, and we are under grace, not the Mosaic law. Again, they were taking the words of Paul out of their context and contorting them in a way that was not his meaning or intent.
The Jews who hated Paul saw him, laid hands on him, and said, “This is the man that teacheth all men everywhere against the people and the law and this place, and further brought Greeks also into the temple and hath polluted this holy place.” (Acts 21:28) Here we see another pattern of the deceptive false witnesses of Satan. He makes broad, all-inclusive statements that are grossly inaccurate. The statement that Paul taught “all men everywhere” is clearly not right. They are speaking in broad, general, all-inclusive terms that are intended to falsely misrepresent the scope of the issue (aside from the fact the issue is already falsely misrepresented). Always be very cautious when you start hearing things that somebody has affected “all men everywhere” as justification for something that cannot be substantiated. Again, Paul did not teach against circumcision, the people, the law, or the temple. He just told them about a greater kingdom that has now come, but his words were misconstrued and misrepresented.
Furthermore, they accused Paul of bringing a Greek into the temple, Trophimus, “whom they supposed that Paul brought into the temple.” (Acts 21:29) Notice another classic hallmark of false witnesses stirred up by Satan. They are not based on facts, but on their “supposed” assumptions of what they think probably happened. Paul did not bring Trophimus into the temple, but this false witness was based on their “supposed assumption” that the man who they saw with Paul in the city also “probably” went with Paul into the temple, but he did not. Be very cautious of witnesses that are based on “supposed assumptions” and not facts, as they most likely are inaccurate.
After quite a few other events, Paul has another trial before Felix where Tertullus, a great orator, is recruited to publicly make the case against Paul and accuse him. He said, “For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes: [6] Who also hath gone about to profane the temple: whom we took, and would have judged according to our law.” (Acts 24:5-6) and other Jews there assented that these things were so as well (Acts 24:9). Paul was certainly a “pest” for these Jews, but he had not moved to create sedition among “all the Jews throughout the world” (notice the false broad, all-inclusive statements again). He had not profaned the temple; that was based on what they “supposed” happened, not facts.
Paul knew he stood in the right and there was no valid proof for any of the false witnesses hurled against him. “And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man, neither raising up the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the city: Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me.” (Acts 24:12-13) He knew he had a “conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.” (Acts 24:16) Then, later when before Festus, “the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove. [8] While he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all.” (Acts 25:7-8) They made many grievous complaints, but they could not prove any of them.
Festus said that he expected there would be a pretty strong legal case against Paul considering his imprisonment and being such a notable prisoner of his enemies, but there was no valid accusation like he would have expected. “Against whom when the accusers stood up, they brought none accusation of such things as I supposed: [19] But had certain questions against him of their own superstition, and of one Jesus, which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.” (Acts 25:18-19) And it was wrong to hold a prisoner when they couldn’t even list off what his crimes actually were. “For it seemeth to me unreasonable to send a prisoner, and not withal to signify the crimes laid against him.” (Acts 25:27)
Paul was acquitted by the rulers from his false witnesses, and if he had not appealed to Caesar, he would have been released. “And when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds. [32] Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.” (Acts 26:31-32) He was acquitted at each trial, but the only reason he stayed imprisoned was because he appealed to Caesar. He was acquitted in Rome as well.
If we feel the need to defend ourselves, inevitably, we might fall into the trap of letting our emotions and the flesh influence our words and actions more than the Holy Spirit. That is a primary goal of Satan in stirring up these types of slander and false witnesses: to get us to sin and destroy our witness in our response to defend against these lies. There is a place for defending ourselves when things are said in our presence, but we do not need to fall into the trap of the devil to sin ourselves in responding to another’s sin. Thus, we want to live in a way where we have a clear conscience void of offense before the Lord and before men, just like Paul had (Acts 24:16). If we are in the wrong, then the Lord will certainly convict our conscience, and we need to repent of that. However, if we are serving the Lord and have a clear conscience before the Lord, if men speak evil of you falsely, when those lies inevitably collapse in upon themselves, your detractors will end up ashamed that have falsely accused your good conversation in Christ. “Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.” (1 Pet. 3:16) Furthermore, the words of your detractor will carry very little weight to others in the future when they have been publicly shamed by the Lord and it has been publicly manifested that their words were not true in times past. When faced with reviling, let us commend ourselves up unto the righteous judgment of our Lord. He is much better equipped at defending us against the attacks of Satan in slander, gossip, and lies than we could ever defend ourselves.