在強風助長下，大火在羅馬城延燒了好幾天。歷史學家塔西佗（Tacitus）記錄當時混亂的景象，人們驚慌尖叫，四處逃命。最終，羅馬近三分之二的地區化為焦土，淪為廢墟。羅馬皇帝尼祿將縱火的罪名嫁禍給基督徒。因他憎恨基督徒，就讓他們成為這場災難的替罪羊，而這場大火據傳是尼祿差人縱火的！

尼希米也曾遭人誣告他要謀反。他原是波斯王的僕人，但獲准與其他以色列人一同返回耶路撒冷重建城牆（尼希米記2章1-10節）。然而，當城牆完工時，敵人便誣告猶太人「謀反」，想要立尼希米「作他們的王」（6章6節）。猶太人如何回應這些不實的指控呢？他們以言行自證清白（8節），勇敢倚靠上帝的大能（11節），並熱切地向上帝禱告（14節）。最終，他們的敵人感到「恐慌和丟臉」，因他們知道「這項工程是在⋯⋯上帝的幫助下完成的」（16節，新普及譯本）。

有時，我們也會被人誣陷。但上帝會賜給我們所需的力量，使我們能饒恕那些誣陷我們的人，並讓我們「品行端正，叫那些毀謗[我們]是作惡的，因看見[我們]的好行為，便在鑒察的日子歸榮耀給上帝」（彼得前書2章12節）。

Driven by powerful winds, the fire raged for days. The historian Tacitus describes a chaotic scene filled with screams and citizens running for their lives. In the end, nearly two-thirds of Rome had been destroyed. The Roman emperor Nero falsely accused believers in Jesus of starting the fire. He hated Christians and selected them to be the scapegoat for the disaster—one that was rumored to have been ordered by Nero himself!

• Nehemiah also faced the blistering heat of false accusation. He’d been a servant to the king of Persia but had been allowed to return to Jerusalem with other Israelites to repair its walls (Nehemiah 2:1-10). When the wall was repaired, however, enemies accused the Jews of “planning to rebel” and making Nehemiah “their king” (6:6 nlt). How did they respond to false accusations? By declaring and living out their innocence (v. 8), courageously standing in God’s power (v. 11), and praying fervently to Him (v. 14). Their enemies were ultimately “frightened and humiliated” as they “realized [the wall reconstruction] had been done with the help of . . . God” (v. 16 nlt).

At times, we’ll be falsely accused by others. But as God provides the strength we need, we can forgive our accusers and “live such good lives” that, though “they accuse [us] of doing wrong, they may see [our] good deeds and glorify God” (1 Peter 2:12).