As kids, we told a fib: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Lived experience proves the opposite. Words hurt. Perhaps untrue words are the most harmful of all. Slander is often linked to violence in the Bible (Matt. 5:11; Eph. 4:31) because it’s an attempt to murder a person’s good name, to destroy a person’s life.
If an employer believes false accusations made against an employee, an entire family can be thrown into destitution. If a church listens to lies about their pastor, a faithful man’s lifelong ministry can be destroyed. If family members believe false rumors about one another, the harmony and unity of a home can be destroyed.
The Scriptures testify that evil words can be deadly, but the good news is that God’s gracious words are more powerful than slander.
Naboth Slandered
In 1 Kings 21, King Ahab sought to buy a vineyard from a righteous Israelite named Naboth. Though it would’ve been lucrative, Naboth refused: “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers” (v. 3). As Peter Leithart observes, Naboth understood the land was given by God (Josh. 13–19). He remembered that the law forbids moving boundary markers (Lev. 25; Deut. 19:14; Prov. 22:28). Loving God more than money, Naboth obeyed his law and refused the king’s request.
The Scriptures testify that evil words can be deadly, but the good news is that God’s gracious words are more powerful than slander.
When Ahab returned home, he mourned (1 Kings 21:4–6). His wife Jezebel quickly decided to take matters in her own hands. She penned a letter to the leaders of Jezreel, commanding them to proclaim a fast. As the townspeople gathered for the fast, Jezebel ordered that two immoral men accuse Naboth of blasphemy against the king and against God. Hearing these charges established by two witnesses, the people of Jezreel took innocent Naboth outside the city and stoned him (vv. 8–14). Jezebel’s evil words quite literally broke Naboth’s bones.
Naboth died physically, and he experienced another death too. The queen slaughtered the righteous man’s reputation. Naboth’s family and friends believed he was a hypocrite, a blasphemer, and cursed by God. But God refused to let this injustice slide. He instead worked to restore Naboth’s reputation.
Naboth Vindicated
After Naboth’s death, Ahab took possession of the vineyard (vv. 15–16). When Ahab surveyed the stolen land, God sent the prophet to confront him. Elijah proclaimed that judgment would befall Ahab, Jezebel, and the king’s household (vv. 20–24), and his message had another component: “Have you killed and also taken possession?” (v. 19). Before announcing Ahab’s judgment, Elijah calls attention to Naboth’s murder. The prophet leaves no doubt about Naboth’s innocence. Through the words of God’s prophet, the reputation of the righteous man was raised from the dead.
We can see Naboth as a type of Christ. Both choose to obey God’s will, even to their own detriment (Luke 22:42). Both are killed under the charge of blasphemy against a king (John 19:12) and God (Matt. 26:65–66). Both are verbally abused by two immoral men (Matt. 27:44), and both are taken outside the city to be killed (Heb. 13:12). Both die in dishonor, seemingly coming under the curse of God despite their innocence (Gal. 3:13).
Naboth’s family and friends believed he was a hypocrite, a blasphemer, and cursed by God. But God refused to let this injustice slide.
Yet just as God spoke to vindicate Naboth, God vindicated his Son. In his resurrection, Jesus “was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness” (Rom. 1:4). Paul teaches in 1 Timothy 3:16 that Jesus was “vindicated by the Spirit.” The word translated “vindicated” is the same word usually translated “justified” or “declared righteous.” This is strange: Jesus was sinless, so why did he need to be justified?
We must remember justification has not only a vertical component (counted right in God’s sight) but also a horizontal component (shown to be righteous in men’s eyes, James 2:14–26). As Christ died, few people believed he was the Holy One of God. Yet the Father wouldn’t allow slanderous words about his Son to stand. Jesus’s resurrection justified him before men, proving that his claims to be God’s Son and the Messiah were true. The resurrection of Naboth’s reputation points us to Jesus’s vindication in his resurrection from the dead. It also reminds us we’ll one day share in Jesus’s resurrection and vindication.
Vindication and Judgment
John Bunyan encourages us to see our justification through this lens. One day, Jesus will return, and our bodies will be raised just as Christ’s was. On that day, we’ll share in the vindication enjoyed by Naboth and Jesus. Those who’ve slandered and maligned God’s people will be silenced as God shows our confession is true. Every tongue will join us in confessing Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father (Phil. 2:10–11). As Bunyan writes, “In [Jesus’s] justification, we are justified.”
Question 90 of the Westminster Larger Catechism states, “At the day of judgment, the righteous . . . shall be set on [God’s] right hand, and there [be] openly acknowledged and acquitted.” God’s declaration of “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:23) will be a public declaration, as God drowns out every voice of slander by declaring us righteous in his sight.
Justification has not only a vertical component (counted right in God’s sight) but also a horizontal component (shown to be righteous in men’s eyes).
With Elijah’s vindicating word, 1 Kings 21 warns those who act hypocritically. Ahab and Jezebel killed Naboth in the name of godly religion. Today, many Christians with positions of power abuse their sheep, claiming they act in God’s name. One day, their misdeeds will be brought to light, just as Ahab’s were by Elijah. On the Day of Judgment, the justification of the righteous won’t be the only public word. The sins and condemnation of the wicked will be broadcast too.
This is the gospel Naboth’s life proclaims: God will silence slanderers on the last day. He’ll definitively prove that whatever the world may say, those who kept his gospel and commandments acted wisely and rightly. When Jesus is revealed, our bodies and reputations will be raised by the God of justice. Jesus wins, and his people will share in his triumph forever.
The Gospel Coalition