Meaning of false accusations
An accusation that is contrary to the truth is a false accusation. To accuse means to make a charge of wrongdoing against someone. An untrue charge that someone has done something wrong is a false accusation. Injustice and false accusation flock together. Many great men of old who suffered persecutions of all kinds were, first, falsely accused of wrongdoing. The Bible gives us some examples of Bible figures who were falsely accused and who their accusers were:
1. Potiphar’s wife falsely accused Joseph
Joseph was the son of Jacob who was also called Israel. He was sold into slavery by his brothers and he ended up in the house of Potiphar, an Egyptian army general. Now Joseph, being handsome, caught the attention of Potiphar’s wife. She lusted after Joseph so much and wanted to have an affair with him but he refused because he feared God (Ge 39:9).
One day, when Joseph went into the house to do his work and no one was there, Potiphar’s wife caught him by his clothes and tried to force Joseph to have sex with her. But he left his clothes in her hand and ran out of the house. Then she called everyone in the house and said that Joseph tried to rape her and she used his clothes as evidence (Ge 39:14). This false accusation was relayed to Potiphar, Joseph’s master, and he had Joseph thrown into prison. Reference Genesis 39
2. Ishbosheth falsely accused Abner
After the death of King Saul, there was a power struggle as to who should be heir to the thrown. While the tribe of Judah hailed David as their king, the rest of the tribe accepted Ishbosheth as their king and successor of King Saul. Abner was the army general of Israel during the reign of King Saul. He was also the one who took Ishbosheth, the last son of King Saul, and made him a king over Israel after the death of Saul.
However, with time, the relationship between Ishbosheth and Abner became complicated. This is because Ishboshet falsely accused Abner of having an affair with Rizpah who was Saul’s concubine and the daughter of Aiah (2Sa 3:7). This false accusation greatly offended Abner such that he stopped supporting and defending Ishbosheth as the heir to the throne of Israel and switched sides to support David to become the king of all Israel. Reference 2 Samuel 3:6-21
3. False witnesses falsely accused Naboth
Naboth was a Jezreelite, meaning he came from Jezreel. He lived during the regime of King Ahab. Naboth had a vineyard in Jezreel which was near Ahab’s palace. Over time, Ahab requested to buy this vineyard to make it a vegetable garden, but Naboth refused to sell it to him because it was the inheritance of his ancestors. This displeased Ahab very much. When Jezebel heard of it, she devised a way to usurp the property from Naboth. She wrote a letter, sealed it in Ahab’s name, and sent it to the elders of Naboth’s city.
Going by the content of the letter, the elders and the leaders of Naboth’s city, proclaimed a fast and brought Naboth before the people and falsely accused him by the mouth of two false witnesses that Naboth had blasphemed God and the king (1Ki 21:13). Because of this false accusation, they took him outside the city and stoned him with stones until he died. Then they sent to Jezebel that Naboth had been killed and King Ahab went to take his vineyard. Reference 1 Kings 21:1-16
4. Jewish leaders falsely accused Jesus before Pilate and Herod
After Jesus was arrested, the council of Jewish elders and the high priest met to interrogate him and decide his fate. Convinced that Jesus claims to be the Son of God, they wanted to have him crucified for this blasphemy. So the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. In the presence of Pilate, they accused Jesus of subverting the nation (Lu 23:2), stirring up the people (Lu 23:5), and opposing the payment of taxes to Caesar (Lu 23:2) – something that Jesus never did. However, Pontius Pilate found their accusation hard to believe and, learning that Jesus was from Galilee, he had them send him to Herod the ruler of Galilee, who was then in Jerusalem. In the presence of Herod too, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, vehemently accused Jesus of wrongdoing (Luke 23:10). Reference Luke 23:1-5
5. Slave owners falsely accused Paul and Silas
Paul and company came to the city of Philippi. There was a demon-possessed slave girl there who made her masters very rich through fortune-telling. Every day, this girl followed Paul and company on their way to pray, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” This annoyed Paul and, one day when the girl was following them, he cast the demon out of her.
When her masters saw that their hope of getting money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas, dragged them to the magistrates, and accused them, saying, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” Acts 16:21
The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safe. Having received this order, the jailor put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. Reference Acts 16:16-24
6. False accusation against Paul
18 On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19 After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law, 21 and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs. 22 What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; 24 take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law. Reference Acts 21:18-24