Speaking ill of a Neighbor

3 FEBRUARY

LORD, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in Thy holy hill? He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.

Psalm 15:1, 3

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: James 3

After briefly naming the virtues of those who desire to have a place in the church, David now names vices from which believers should be free.

First, they must not be slanderers or detractors; second, that they must restrain themselves from doing anything mischievous or injurious to their neighbors; and, third, they must give credence to backbiting and false reports.

David names backbiting and reproach as the first injustice by which neighbors are injured. If a good name is a treasure more precious than all the riches of the world (Prov. 22:1). We can inflict no greater injury than to wound a person’s reputation. Not very injurious word is condemned here; rather, the psalmist specifically refers to the disease and lust of detraction that stir a malicious person to spread false reports. At the same time, we cannot doubt that the Holy Spirit’s design is to condemn all false and wicked accusations.

In the clause that follows, the psalmist say the children of God should be far removed from the more general injustice of doing evil to his neighbour. The word neighbour here refers not only to those whom we often speak to and enjoy fellowship with, but also to people whom are bound to by the ties of humanity and a common nature. The psalmist uses these terms to clearly show the odiousness of what he condemns and to urge the saints to greatly abhor all wrong dealings with people, since every person who hurts his neighbor violates the fundamental law of human society.

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION: The sins David mentions are easy to commit. We can refer to these sins in many ways, but in the end, slander against our neighbor is a serious sin. Do we realize how wrong it is to speak ill of our neighbor, and that, if we persist in doing so, we will be unwelcome in the Lord’s house?

365 Days With Calvin

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke