Don't speak evil

Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, “Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.” And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?”
And those who stood by said, “Do you revile God's high priest?”
Then Paul said, “I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ” – Acts 23.1-5

Paul was called before the Jewish council to answer the charges against him. As he began his defence claiming innocence the high priest struck him on the mouth.

Paul responded in anger – ‘God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You claim to judge me by the Law and break the Law yourself!’

The response was immediate – ‘you can’t talk that way to a high priest!’

And how did Paul respond? Did he get angry and try to defend himself? Did he insist on his rights? Did he put it on Facebook that he was being treated unfairly?

‘I did not know he was a high priest. It is written down that you should not speak evil of your human rulers.’ In essence Paul apologised for his words.

How different is that from what we see Christians doing today? It seems like it is a must that God’s people join the trend of speaking evil of leaders they don’t like or disagree with. All this despite injunctions that we ‘speak evil of no man’ and ‘honour the king’ and ‘submit yourselves to authorities.’ We can speak evil of our human leaders with what borders on pride and arrogance and without apology. Some seem to revel in their evil speaking.

My brethren, these things ought not so to be.