FALSE ALLEGATIONS IN THE BIBLE, Part 1

I made the point yesterday that it seems we are inclined towards disbelieving denials: when an allegation is leveled at someone, we are more likely to side instinctively with the accuser than the accused. 

I find it interesting how often this very issue comes up in the Bible - and the prominence of false accusations in Scripture should definitely give us pause when we are tempted to jump to conclusions of guilt.

Although one could argue that the first false accusation in Scripture comes out of the mouth of the serpent in the opening chapters of Genesis, I am wanting here to stick to major passages dealing SPECIFICALLY with the concept of false accusations. 

There are at least 3 big ones. Here is the first:

1) As a sin, making a false allegation ranks among God's Top Ten. The eighth commandment is this: "Thou shall not bear false witness against your neighbor". (Exodus 20:16) Consider the fact that this is found on the same list as murder, theft, adultery, and worshipping false idols. 

A prohibition against false accusations making it into the Ten Commandments should be enough to give us pause, but there's much more ...