Accusations do not have to be based on the truth;
in fact, often they are not. Many accusations are unprovoked attacks
on innocent parties. Sometimes accusations have a thread of truth
that is taken out of context or blown out of proportion. Sometimes
the accusations are accurate, and the party being accused is truly
guilty of the crime of which he is accused.
Satan is the accuser of God's people. He stood
before the Angel of the Lord in Zechariah 3:1-2 to accuse Joshua
the High Priest. In that instance, his accusation was baseless
and God dismissed the claim. In Job 1:9, Satan levels an accusation
against Job, "Does Job fear God for nothing?" He accuses
Job of serving God for selfish gain and claims that if God removes
His protection from Job that he will, "...curse you to your
face" (v. 11). Job did nothing wrong, but Satan accused him
anyway. Satan is also willing to level accusations against God.
In Genesis 3:5, he accused God of trying to keep Adam and Eve
ignorant by refusing them the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
He tells Eve that the only reason God keeps the tree from her
and Adam is to keep them from being as wise as he is, to keep
them from being as wise as God. Satan's desire is to drive a wedge
between God and His people, and he will stop at nothing to accomplish
his purpose.
Notice, though, that, in each case where man is
accused by Satan, God knows the truth about the man. God knew
that Job was honest and would not turn against Him because of
the loss of earthly possessions. Job struggled mightily with what
was happening to him but never turned against God. God knew before
the accusation was leveled against Job just how strong Job was.
In fact, He was the one who brought up Job's name (1:8). He was
not "sicking" Satan on Job; Satan was already considering
his attack on God's man. God knew Job had the strength to withstand
the wiles of the devil.
The challenge this gives to us is to live so that
God knows Satan's accusations against us are false. When Satan
charges us with wrongdoing, we need to make sure our lives contradict
his attack. Self-evaluation is a valuable tool in aiding us along
this avenue. Ask yourself the question, "If Satan approached
God, and accused me of serving for wrong motives, would God have
enough evidence to know better?" It is best to be honest
in answering this question; God already knows the answer. Do some
serious self-examination; decide whether you have been right in
your approach to God, or Satan has at least a thread of truth
with which to accuse you. Satan will not let anything go without
accusation, and he is willing to lie in making his accusations.
What we need to do is live in such a way that when he accuses
us, we make him a liar. 1301 West Virginia Ave., Parkersburg,
WV 26104.