Passion Meditation

How much strife David, the man after God’s heart, the sweet psalmist, had to experience. Also, how much he suffered in this Mesech of misery from the slanderous tongues of those who thought they were true Israelites. He even complained that those who sat in the gate spoke against Him. Thus, even from those who had to “speak justice,” he was slandered and reproached.

Slander is a terrible thing. I fear that many, even in the church of the Lord on earth, often commit this sin. The Lord earnestly warns us all not to commit this evil, but while David speaks and complains about slander in this psalm, it also has a much broader meaning. It applies especially and above all to the King of ages, the Lord Jesus Christ, who has been blasphemed continually. That, too, was part of His indescribable suffering.

Blaspheming means constantly giving false testimony about someone who is innocent. People contin ually said things about Christ that were not true. They spoke malicious lies about the precious Surety and Saviour of His Zion, in whose mouth no deceit was found.

They had even sought out two witnesses who accused Him falsely. Instead of silencing these slanderers, they rejoiced and thought they had found a reason to say of Him, the dearly beloved Son of the Father, “He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses?”

My friends, what grief and sorrow it can cause if someone is slandered in daily life, if people speak things of a person that are not true. In this aspect it is so true that honor is delicate, but how much worse it was in regard to the Lord Jesus, the Saviour of poor sinners, who truly became sinners through the convincing work of the Holy Spirit. He, the perfectly sinless One, He who never spoke a lie, was bitterly and hostilely, yea, devilishly slandered.

He, who always had His Father’s honor in view and the redemption of sinners worthy of death and damnation, was slandered. He was blasphemed. Not one favorable word was spoken for Him, but lies were spoken against Him, who was the Truth Himself, and who was blameless, yes, perfect in His words and works.

The dirtiest and meanest things were not bad enough to put Him in a bad light, and thus to think they could find reasons to persecute Him to death; all this under a pretense of blasphemy, had greatly aggravated Christ’s suffering. His human nature has suffered so terribly that it should move us and bring us on our knees. Oh, the Lord of glory, not only captured and soon to be hung on the tree of the cross, but also being blasphemed, slandered, and lied about, and that with devilish delight.

Reader, do we realize how deeply man has fallen away from God, to even walk such paths, to find cause to bring the Surety to the accursed tree?

They rejoiced because they thought they had found some semblance of right to condemn Him to death. In this is revealed the indescribable woe that He had to bear, also in this way. For in this, too, it was confirmed that He was innocently condemned.

Indeed INNOCENT—had He been somewhat guilty, even in this part of His precious suffering, it could not have been a substitutionary suffering. Now, also by the false tongue, they tried to strike Him in His work, which was for the glory of His Father and for the salvation of indescribably miserable people. They have spit out their gall, and they have stung Him as with stings. Oh, wonder, my reader, He endured the disputers. He could have silenced them in the act, yes, much worse; He could have taken their lives, but He did not.

When we are slandered, we usually will fight for our honor, but He did not fight; He willingly bore this also, in perfect obedience to His Father. Yet, in this lies an explained miracle, for by drinking this bitter cup of slander, He was and is the One who can still save slanderers from death and from the righteous judgment of God.

Also, in the life of such a one, this sin (as well as all our sins) must be mourned, and men must proclaim: “Have mercy upon me, O God, have mercy upon me!” The Lord says He will destroy them that speak leasing. Oh, free favor that eternally moved Him—He also teaches in His eternal testimony: “Forsake the foolish, and live.” So, even slanderers can still be saved by Him who Himself has been so heavily and deceitfully slandered.

May the Lord, in this season of commemorating Christ’s precious suffering, make us to understand much of: If He had not come, if He had not suffered, no sinner, no slanderer, could ever be saved from the wrath to come. Oh, may the Lord make us all honest before Him as we are traveling to eternity.

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