Of all the vile names given to the devil (and there are several), one stands out as especially despicable — Accuser. The name appears near the end of the Bible in Revelation 12:10, “For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth — the one who accuses them before our God day and night.”
Satan is no respecter of persons. He will accuse anyone of anything at any time. From what Revelation 12:10 indicates, leveling accusations seems to be Satan’s full-time occupation. While Jesus is constantly praying for us (Hebrews 7:25), Satan is busy accusing us.
Job is the classic example of Satan’s activity as the Accuser. Job was a godly man full of integrity (Job 1:8). But that didn’t stop the enemy. As the father of lies (John 8:44) Satan simply made up an accusation. Without any grounds or evidence to support his claim, Satan accused Job of serving God for profit. To prove Satan wrong, God allowed Job to lose everything including his ten children. Contrary to Satan’s prediction, Job remained true to God saying, “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21).
Job passed the test! He proved Satan’s accusation to be false. Did that satisfy the devil? Of course not. False accusers are not interested in truth. There is a more sinister agenda at work.
Proven wrong the first time, Satan shifted his strategy slightly and hurled another accusation. The first accusation challenged Job’s motives. The second challenged his sincerity. Satan told God, “Reach out and take away his health, and he will surely curse you to your face!” (Job 2:5). So began the horrendous physical sufferings of Job. Job again proved Satan’s accusation untrue. He endured the suffering and never compromised his commitment to the Lord.
Though proven wrong twice, there is no record of Satan ever admitting that his accusations were false. False accusers rarely make such an admission. No retraction. No correction. They just leave the accusation hanging and walk away.
We shouldn’t be surprised when the righteous become the targets of vicious accusations. Jesus Himself was the victim of such. Luke 6:7 reports that Christ’s enemies were constantly looking for any opportunity to level an accusation against Him. Matthew 26:59 says they actively sought out witnesses who would lie about Jesus in order to bring Him down. Sadly, there were many willing accomplices; enough to get Him crucified. In the end, they even put their written accusation over Jesus’ head as He hung on the cross.
I know, the injustice of it all is maddening. But there is coming a day when God will turn the tables. The line in the Christmas Carol offers tremendous hope, “The wrong shall fail, the right prevail.” In the end, truth will win the day. So hold on. Answer false accusations by speaking the truth in love, maintaining integrity, and living righteously. And as for the accusers, sometimes it seems like they do their damage and get away with it. Think again. The Bible presents this directive that should make anyone think twice before making a false accusation, “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19).
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).
Pastor Todd Weston
Satan is no respecter of persons. He will accuse anyone of anything at any time. From what Revelation 12:10 indicates, leveling accusations seems to be Satan’s full-time occupation. While Jesus is constantly praying for us (Hebrews 7:25), Satan is busy accusing us.
Job is the classic example of Satan’s activity as the Accuser. Job was a godly man full of integrity (Job 1:8). But that didn’t stop the enemy. As the father of lies (John 8:44) Satan simply made up an accusation. Without any grounds or evidence to support his claim, Satan accused Job of serving God for profit. To prove Satan wrong, God allowed Job to lose everything including his ten children. Contrary to Satan’s prediction, Job remained true to God saying, “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21).
Job passed the test! He proved Satan’s accusation to be false. Did that satisfy the devil? Of course not. False accusers are not interested in truth. There is a more sinister agenda at work.
Proven wrong the first time, Satan shifted his strategy slightly and hurled another accusation. The first accusation challenged Job’s motives. The second challenged his sincerity. Satan told God, “Reach out and take away his health, and he will surely curse you to your face!” (Job 2:5). So began the horrendous physical sufferings of Job. Job again proved Satan’s accusation untrue. He endured the suffering and never compromised his commitment to the Lord.
Though proven wrong twice, there is no record of Satan ever admitting that his accusations were false. False accusers rarely make such an admission. No retraction. No correction. They just leave the accusation hanging and walk away.
We shouldn’t be surprised when the righteous become the targets of vicious accusations. Jesus Himself was the victim of such. Luke 6:7 reports that Christ’s enemies were constantly looking for any opportunity to level an accusation against Him. Matthew 26:59 says they actively sought out witnesses who would lie about Jesus in order to bring Him down. Sadly, there were many willing accomplices; enough to get Him crucified. In the end, they even put their written accusation over Jesus’ head as He hung on the cross.
I know, the injustice of it all is maddening. But there is coming a day when God will turn the tables. The line in the Christmas Carol offers tremendous hope, “The wrong shall fail, the right prevail.” In the end, truth will win the day. So hold on. Answer false accusations by speaking the truth in love, maintaining integrity, and living righteously. And as for the accusers, sometimes it seems like they do their damage and get away with it. Think again. The Bible presents this directive that should make anyone think twice before making a false accusation, “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19).
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).
Pastor Todd Weston