Finally! After several days of getting bumped by other articles, I get to publish this one. In many jurisdictions, a person accused of misconduct or a crime has the right to remain silent. That is in part because the person’s words could be misconstrued and used against him or her. Therefore, silence and legal counsel affords an accused person protection from self-incrimination, to include and arguably especially when innocent. The same things apply in ministry when faced with allegations. Sometimes a person, in his or her zeal to prove his or her innocence, makes statements that the enemy uses against him or her. That is why Christians need the Lord as the head of their defense team. The bottom line is, when you are the Lord’s and you are in right standing with Him, He will defend and eventually vindicate you. Conversely, if you are trying to use the Lord as a shield, particularly when you are not His, He will expose you and your sins (Numbers 32:23).
When I say the Lord will defend you, that does not mean the results will be immediate. The Bible does state how long, but Joseph spent a few years in prison because of Potiphar’s wife’s false allegations before the Lord exalted him. Scripture also tells of martyred saints in heaven appealing to the Lord for justice:
“And when He had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?’
And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.” ~ Revelation 6:9-11
The Lord’s defense of you, when you walk in righteousness, will not always be immediate, but He will defend and certainly vindicate you. When the Lord calls you to serve Him, He bears many responsibilities for you. The Bible has more than a thousand prophets, but we do not know how many of them the Lord called to ministry. Of the numerous named and unnamed false prophets throughout the Bible, we know that Jezebel had at least 850 of them (1 Kings 18:19). The Lord bore no responsibility to defend or vindicate any of them. On the other hand, Abraham was the first person the Lord referred to in the Bible as His prophet (Genesis 20:7). The Lord told him that He was we his shield and exceeding great reward (Genesis 15:1). A shield protects, such as the “shield of faith” (Ephesians 6:16). We also see how the Lord called Jeremiah as a prophet, with a promise to defend him:
“Then the Word of the Lord came unto me, saying, ‘Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.’
Then said I, ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.’
[The Lord’s response to the newly commissioned prophet included this promise.]
‘For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I AM with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee.’” ~ Jeremiah 1:4-6, 18-19
That did not mean the Lord would not allow Jeremiah to suffer. The prophet was imprisoned several times, to include time spent in a cistern on a diet of bread and water (Jeremiah 38). People mocked Jeremiah to the point where he stopped speaking on the Lord’s behalf:
“O Lord, Thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived; Thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.
For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the Word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily.
Then I said, ‘I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name.’ But His Word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side. Report, say they, and we will report it. All my familiars watched for my halting, saying, ‘Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him.’
But the Lord is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten.
But, O Lord of hosts, that triest the righteous, and seest the reins and the heart, let me see Thy vengeance on them: for unto Thee have I opened my cause.
Sing unto the Lord, praise ye the Lord: for He hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers. ~ Jeremiah 20:7-13 (KJV)
To add insult to injury, people basically accused him of being a “self-appointed prophet” instead of a prophet of the Lord:
“The Lord hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the Lord, for every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks.
Now therefore why hast thou not reproved JEREMIAH of Anathoth, WHICH MAKETH HIMSELF A PROPHET to you? For therefore he sent unto us in Babylon, saying, ‘This captivity is long: build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.’” ~ Jeremiah 29:26-28 (KJV)
Presumably, the accusation came from someone who was not present when the Lord called Jeremiah as a prophet. However, because Jeremiah was the Lord’s, He delivered him from his enemies (as promised). When you are of and for the Lord, you can focus on the work of the Lord, and He will vindicate you in His time. Do not allow the enemy to waste your time by luring you into the warfare of trying to defend yourself and/or your calling. When satan tried to sow seeds of doubt about Jesus being the Christ, the Lord simply rebuked the devil with the Word of God.The Lord did not even try to say He knew He was the Son of God because His Father had recently told Him, and John the Baptist witnessed it (Matthew 3). Jesus Christ simply shut the devil’s accusations and seductions down with the Word of God.
Avoid unnecessary timewasting warfare and shake things off, as Jesus commanded His disciples:
“The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He would send forth labourers into His harvest.
Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way.
And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, ‘The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.’
But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, ‘Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.’” ~ Luke 10:2-11 (KJV)
The Lord did not command His disciples to spend time arguing with people, or to persuade them to believe. However, there would be consequences if the people failed to believe the Lord’s messengers. We also see that when the Lord called Ezekiel as a prophet and subsequently with the specialty as a watchman (Ezekiel 3). The Lord let the prophet know that sometimes He would send him to deliver messages that people would reject, but it would be to their condemnation. When you are serving the Lord and in right standing with Him, when He sends you on an assignment, those who reject the message and/or the messenger is rejecting the One who sent you. Therefore, even though it may hurt, do not take it personally (see 1 Samuel 8:7). Again, in time, the Lord will vindicate you.
Sometimes you must wait for the Lord to respond to attacks against you. But in this example, the Lord quickly defended and vindicated of one of His servants:
“And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
And they said, ‘Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Hath He not spoken also by us?’
And the Lord heard it.
(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)
And the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, ‘Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation.’
And they three came out.
And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.
And He said, ‘Hear now My Words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make Myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant MOSES is not so, who IS FAITHFUL IN ALL MINE HOUSE. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?
And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and He departed.
And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.
And Aaron said unto Moses, ‘Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb.’
And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, ‘Heal her now, O God, I beseech Thee.’
And the Lord said unto Moses, ‘If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? Let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again.’
And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.
And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.” ~ Numbers 12 (KJV)
Moses did not have to defend himself. He did not ask the Lord to teach them a lesson they would never forget or command a calamity to come upon them. Before I continue with Moses, let me remind you of this moment when Jesus rebuked two of His apostles:
“And it came to pass, when the time was come that He should be received up, He stedfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for Him.
And they did not receive Him, because His face was as though He would go to Jerusalem.
And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, ‘Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?’
But He turned, and rebuked them, and said, ‘Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of Man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.’
And they went to another village.” ~Luke 9:51-56 (KJV)
Do not misuse your (spiritual) authority or you will learn some very painful lessons about what Jesus meant in Luke 12:47-48 (KJV). James and John had a Scriptural justification for their plans, to call down fire like Elijah, but doing so due to rejection would have been inappropriate and ungodly. Let the Spirit of the Lord lead you instead of responding due to an offense.
Now back to when Aaron and Miriam criticized Moses for marrying an Ethiopian, and the Lord rebuked them. As a servant of the Most High God, and being in better standing with Him than his siblings, the Lord defended Moses. Also, even though Aaron was a prophet and the High Priest, he asked Moses to intercede to the Lord on their sister’s behalf. Likewise, Miriam was a prophetess, but she apparently did not intercede to the Lord directly. When Christians war against fellow Christians, the Lord will eventually settle the matter. You better be right because your title will not save you as Miriam and Aaron discovered.
There were times in the Bible when two people who believed in God would ask Him to judge between them. Sarah did it to her husband Abraham after he took her advice and impregnated her servant Hagar:
“And Sarai said unto Abram, ‘My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and thee.’” ~ Genesis 16:5 (KJV)
When you are in right standing with the Lord, you should not have anything to prove because the Lord will eventually show that He approves of you.
The next example of God defending one of His messengers foreshadowed what the Lord Jesus Christ would experience. When King Jehoshaphat heard a prophecy from King Ahab’s prophets, he requested to hear from a prophet of the Lord instead. The Prophet Micaiah told them the truth, which conflicted with the words of the other prophets. That caused the following contention:
“But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, ‘Which way went the Spirit of the Lord from me to speak unto thee?’
And Micaiah said, ‘Behold, thou shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself.’
And the king of Israel said, ‘Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son; And say, ‘Thus saith the king, ‘Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.’
And Micaiah said, ‘If thou return at all in peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me.’
And he said, ‘Hearken, O people, every one of you.’ ~ 1 Kings 22:24-28 (KJV)
After Zedekiah slapped Micaiah, the prophet simply warned Zedekiah of what he would soon experience. There was no need to debate or get into a fight, Zedekiah would soon find out (the hard way) who was right. Micaiah continued by simply warning the king that he would know the prophecy was correct based on if they saw each other after the battle. He appealed to the people to listen to him, but he knew the Lord would vindicate him through the fulfillment of the prophecies he had delivered. But, as expected, the kings defied Micaiah’s prophecy and advice by going to battle. A Syrian soldier shot King Ahab with an arrow that claimed his life several hours later, which was ample time for him to reflect on the Prophet Micaiah’s warnings. Again, the Lord vindicated the prophet (via the fulfillment of His Words), even though he suffered for a while.
As previously stated, Micaiah’s experience with the wicked king foreshadowed an important time in Jesus’ life. Jesus could have outdebated His accusers, but He remained relatively silent after His arrest. As His accusers had done for much of His ministry, they waited for the slightest error to use His Words or actions against Him:
“Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, SOUGHT FALSE WITNESS AGAINST JESUS, TO PUT HIM TO DEATH; But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none.
At the last came two false witnesses, and said, ‘This Fellow said, ‘I AM able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.’
And the high priest arose, and said unto Him, ‘Answerest thou nothing? What is it which these witness against Thee?’
But Jesus held His peace, and the high priest answered and said unto Him, ‘I adjure Thee by the living God, that Thou tell us whether Thou be the Christ, the Son of God.’
Jesus saith unto him, ‘Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, ‘Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.’
Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, ‘He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? Behold, now ye have heard His blasphemy.’
‘What think ye?
They answered and said, ‘He is guilty of death.’
Then did they spit in His face, and buffeted Him; and others smote Him with the palms of their hands, saying, ‘Prophesy unto us, Thou Christ, Who is he that smote Thee?’” ~ Matthew 26:59-68 (KJV)
They interrogated Jesus, but they were not seeking the truth. All they wanted was a reason to accuse Him so they could have Him killed. We need the Holy Spirit’s wisdom regarding when to mount anything that seems like a defense. A false accuser is ultimately seeking confirmation to his or her biases insteadof the truth. Oftentimes, a false accuser has (knowingly) rejected the truth. In the case of the chief priest and elders, their hardened hearts and rejection of the truth, despite their outwardly righteous appearance, led to them committing one of the greatest crimes against humanity. Look at these egregious actions after Jesus had risen from the dead:
“Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.
And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, saying, ‘Say ye, ‘HIS DISCIPLES CAME BY NIGHT, AND STOLE HIM AWAY WHILE WE SLEPT.’ And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.’
So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and THIS SAYING IS COMMONLY REPORTED AMONG THE JEWS UNTIL THIS DAY.” ~ Matthew 28:11-15 (KJV)
The chief priests and elders should have fallen on their faces and repented after Jesus’ resurrection, which was a monumental part of the body of proof that He was the Messiah. But instead, they continued in sin, outright rebellion. They added sin to sin by preventing others from getting into heaven, just as the Lord had prophesied:
“But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! FOR YE SHUT UP THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN AGAINST MEN: FOR YE NEITHER GO IN YOURSELVES, NEITHER SUFFER YE THEM THAT ARE ENTERING TO GO IN.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.” ~ Matthew 23:13-15 (KJV)
I cannot begin to imagine the chief priest and elders appearing before the Lord on Judgment Day. But Jesus warned them that they would see Him sitting at the right hand of power. They eventually found out and could not deny that Jesus was the Messiah, but at that point, it was too late for them. They also had the blood of those they prevented from believing in Jesus, and therefore getting saved, on their hands.
The converse of this message is how thedevil will defend his messengers also. Those who pretend to serve the Lord will expose themselves by attempting to defend themselves in ungodly ways. The Lord used Elijah to prove that He was God, which was meant to cause people to repent of their baal (devil) worship. But when Jezebel, the person who brought baal worship to Israel after marrying King Ahab heard, she was not moved to serve the Lord. Instead, this was her spirited response:
“Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, ‘So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.’” ~ 1 Kings 19:2 (KJV)
Messengers of satan, particularly those masquerading as ministers of Christ Jesus, must defend themselves because the LORD God will not. One of the ways they defend themselves is by conjuring demons. They contract the demons to terrorize those who offended or otherwise exposed them. The warfare may have physical manifestations or attacks in dreams or visions. You can learn more about recognizing those attacks, which are sometimes subtle, in this video:
When you serve the LORD God, you can rest in peace knowing that He will defend and vindicate you in His time. If He allows you to go through spiritual warfare, which may be as an offensive from the enemy or in retaliation, despite how things may seem, know that He is with you.
We can learn many things and gain faith based on when the Lord stood in the fire with Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and to Azariah (Abednego). God preserved them, but the men who fell into the fire with them were consumed. That should terrorize those who try to terrorize you; you have God’s grace (to endure suffering), but they do not (see Obadiah 1:15). We see lessons about having faith in God, even when faced with suffering, based on those three men’s stance. Before they were cast into the fire, despite the promises of a certain death, please note how they stood up to the dreaded King Nebuchadnezzar:
“Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, ‘Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, OUR GOD WHOM WE SERVE IS ABLE TO DELIVER US FROM THE BURNING FIERY FURNACE, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. BUT IF NOT, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.’” ~ Daniel 3:13-18 (KJV)
Hananiah, Mishael, and to Azariah placed their lives in the Lord’s hand. They had faith in the Lord’s decision for their lives. They knew He could protect them, but they were willing to perish if He allowed it. That foreshadowed what the Lord expects of us today, just as it is written:
“And they overcame him [the accuser of the brethren] by the Blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives UNTO THE DEATH.” ~ Revelation 12:11 (KJV)
That is the mindset we need to have as Christians, knowing that He will defend and vindicate us, even if we perish while waiting. Ultimately, the Lord Jesus does this by protecting us from another fire:
“And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” ~ Revelation 20:11-15 (KJV)
God’s grace does not exist in the lake of fire and brimstone. Everyone, from the lowest sinner to the devil himself, will suffer everlasting torments (Revelation 20:10). It will fulfill David’s request to the Lord when he said:
“O Lord my God, in Thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me: Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver…
…The Lord shall judge the people: judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me. OH LET THE WICKEDNESS OF THE WICKED COME TO AN END; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins. MY DEFENCE IS OF GOD, which saveth the upright in heart. God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.” ~ Psalm 7:1-2, 8-11 (KJV)
Many Christians are busy trying todefend themselves, sometimes due to immaturity, impatience, and/or the lack of faith in the Lord. Others attempt to justify themselves because they know the Lord will not vindicate them due to their sins. Some accusations are correct, for which we should humble ourselves before the Lord and repent. We can learn from King David when the Prophet Nathan confronted him of his sins (2 Samuel 12). It will not go well for anyone who rejects the truth by calling it a false allegation, and/or by referring the messenger as an “accuser of the brethren”. When the Lord judges, He vindicates the wrongfully accused, but He severely punishes the unrepentant transgressor(s).
Lastly, before you get vindictive and try to play God by seeking revenge, please remember this:
“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine; I WILL REPAY’, saith the Lord.” ~ Romans 12:19 (KJV)
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