Standing Up For Those Who Have Been Falsely Accused

Verses: Susanna 1 : 28 - 46

My thoughts about the verses:

As I read this I thought of the saying Walk a Mile in Someone else’s Shoes.  Imagine now walking in Susanna’s sandals.  Here she is being accused of an act that she did not commit.  She knows that the people trust the judges and deep inside she knows that she is going to die that day.  She is entering with tears into a place where she knows that no matter what she will be found guilty of something.

Now let us walk in the sandals of the judges.  They are still lusting over Susanna.  Even in this moment where there are going to testify against her they are still desiring her because of her beauty.  Imagine not feeling at all shame for what you are doing to this woman.  They walked in angry that she had denies them the pleasure they wanted.  You have to understand their vengeful attitude and their desire to kill this woman so that their sin will not be found out.

Now let us walk in the sandals of those that were watching this event.  They too were also innocent.  They were being betrayed by people they trusted.  They had no idea that the judges were going to use them to eliminate the one person that could damage their reputation.  You have to think of what is going in their mind.  They all had the opinion that Susanna in the past was a vitreous and religious person.  Now they have to accept that she has committed adultery and their impression of her is ruined.  How could they make the mistake to assume she was an upright citizen?

Then for a moment walk in the shoes of Daniel.  I believe it is quite ironic the stance he makes in this moment and time.  Reminds me of when Jesus told the Pharisees and

Sadducees the one that had not committed sin should be first to throw a stone at the one that they accused of adultery.  Daniel is looking in the eyes of this woman and he feels there is more to the story.  He sees for himself the look that the judges are giving her.  He must have questioned why they were in the garden.  How could know one know they were there?  He tells them that he is not going to be held responsible for killing this woman. 

There he stands alone protecting the innocent.  God had filled him with knowledge that surpasses those around him.  You can almost see the look on the faces of the judge.  You can hear them saying to each other how dare he not believe us.  You can see the look on Susanna’s face.  Someone with the same love of God and connection with the most high had stood up to the angry crowd.  You can see the crowd as they think about the situation.  It is a lot like Pontius Pilate as he washes his hand as the people shout crucify.

Have we not been one or more of these shoes ourselves at different times of our lives.  We may be the accusers that want to hide the truth by accusing someone else of doing wrong.  Through our gossip with others we have ruined the relationship of others.  We may have even destroyed their faith in God because as a Christian we have accused them of committing sins that they have never committed.

I would say most of at one time or the other have walked in the shoes of Susanna.  We know that we haven’t done anything wrong.  Yet, people treat us like we are guilty.  They act like we have done things that make us less important than they are.  We have been accused of sins that we haven’t done and therefore we feel that God has let us down.  Through people’s gossip we have people that treat us different than others.

Many of us at one time or another has jumped on the bandwagon of someone who is leading us down the wrong path.  They are doing the best to convince us that they are good leaders.  Yet, in reality they are leading us down a path of destruction.  They are using us as a tool to destroy others.  We believe that they are strong Christians so we are willing to follow them.  Yet, in the end we realize that we are hurting innocent people along the way.

Prayer:

O Holy God we thank you for your love.  We praise you for your wisdom and grace.  We ask that you give us a heart that helps those that are innocent.  We ask that you help us help others?  Help us never judge others?  Help us be like Daniel and live a life of wisdom and grace. In the name of the God of Knowledge we pray.  Amen

Questions:

We must look at our lives and see if we have ever behaved like Daniel.  Are there moments in your life that you stood up for someone that was being mistreated?  Have you helped the hurt and needy of the world?  Have you walked with a heart of compassion showing those around you the grace of God?  Do you open your home, church, for those that are oppressed?  Do you need to do something today to be more like Daniel?  Have you given your God the best of you?  Are you ready to walk like Daniel for the rest of your life?