"And it came to pass, when he was come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said unto him, Wherefore wentest not thou with me, Mephibosheth? And he answered, My lord, O king, my servant (Ziba) deceived me...And he hath slandered thy servant unto my lord the king; but my lord the king is as an angel of God: do therefore what is good in thine eyes" (2 Sam 19:26-27).
David had showed great mercy and kindness unto Mephibosheth. But when David went into exile because of his son Absalom, Ziba slandered Mephibosheth to David. Ziba did so not only to gain the favor of the King but to get over on Mephibosheth. Ziba's slanderous words led to division and caused David's heart to mistrust the one who had previously sat at the kings table.
The bible refers to Satan as the devil, which means slanderer. Slander and gossip, which often seem to go hand and hand, are two of Satan's chief weapons in bringing disunity to relationships and churches.
A church were gossip and slander is allowed to go unchecked is a church where the devil has gained a foothold. Concerning the destructiveness of gossip and slander Pastor Jim Cymbala wrote, "I know what most easily destroys churches. It is not crack cocaine, government oppression, or even lack of funds. Rather it is gossip and slander that grieves the Holy Spirit." If a church is going to be a healthy and thriving church slander and gossip must be seen for what it is, the work of the enemy. Christians who want to see their churches growing and impacting the world for Christ must be committed to not partaking in gossip either by speaking it themselves or listening to it.
If you care about and really understand how detrimental this sin is to the work of God's church, then the next time someone tries to slander or gossip about another person to you say to them, "In the name of Jesus get thee behind me Satan." And if the person ask why you said that, tell them that they are being used of the devil. May God help us and keep us from acting like the devil.
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