Slander

For Friday, April 4, 2008
Proverbs 30:10

Do not slander a servant to his master,
lest he curse you and you be held guilty.

This is a warning to us not to be quick to "get someone in trouble." We can slander by fabricating a lie; we can slander by exaggerating a supposed offense; we can slander by accurately telling what happened without considering the circumstances. We can be quick to slander when we ourselves are in a bad mood and are unforgiving; we be quick to slander if our pride has been wounded; and we can be quick to slander to cover up our own guilt.

We can be quick to slander a "servant" because he is in a vulnerable position. He cannot get even; he has less standing and his job security is on the line. By complaining to the "master," we have an easy means of attack without endangering ourselves. We let the master carry out our vengeance for us.

But let us be wary of the servant's curse. The proverb does mean simply angry or profane words. Rather, the servant is calling upon God to bring justice against his offender. He may not have recourse to earthly justice, but he does have the ear of the Judge who sees all and weighs the human heart. No one gets away with anything. Let us remember that before we are quick to slander. If we have been ill-used, remember that God will provide justice, and, thus, we do not need to take sinful actions to get satisfaction. Don't be in position where another person must call upon God to get satisfaction against us.