LORD, you have seen this; do not be silent. Do not be far from me, Lord. Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord. Psalm 35:22-23
My eyes squint at the clock on the bedside table as I turn on my phone. It’s too early for calls, yet my cell phone is humming. Checking the number, I swipe “decline” as I don’t recognize who is calling. A few minutes pass and my phone rings again. It is also an unknown number but the same area code as the first one. I swipe “decline” again, thinking that if it is important, they will leave a message. Little do I know as I start my day that this phone scenario will repeat itself over thirty times, each time a different number within the same area code.
Realizing I have some voicemail messages, I start checking them. Interestingly, two of the messages contain words that very emphatically direct me not to keep calling them! What? I haven’t made any phone calls all day. Why do they think I called them when they had clearly called me? I am the victim of this scam, but they think I am the perpetrator!
A trip to the local phone company sheds light on this situation. I have been spoofed! Since this is a technological term I am not familiar with, they explain that there are apps to make prank phone calls, but now spam callers use these apps to hide behind legitimate phone numbers such as mine in order to make their spam calls. In other words, when a spammer calls someone, my number pops up on the display. I am definitely a victim, but so are the other people who thought I had repeatedly called them because they are the potential victims of the scammer. The phone calls add unwanted stress to my day (and months ahead) and I feel as if my privacy and my identity are violated. I also feel wrongly accused of making numerous annoying phone calls when I had not called anyone at all.
Penning Psalm 35, David expresses his feelings of being falsely accused. Hunted by a deranged king by the name of Saul, David is on the run. Having been falsely accused of many things and persecuted by Saul, David is the derision of his people. In verse 20, he writes, “They do not speak peaceably, but devise false accusations against those who live quietly in the land.” In his anguish, David tries to remove himself from the situation as best as he can. He knows he is innocent of the accusations. In verses 22-24, he prays to God and says, “LORD, you have seen this; do not be silent. Do not be far from me, Lord. Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord. Vindicate me in your righteousness, LORD my God; do not let them gloat over me.” Before God begins to answer his prayers, David praises Him, confident of the Lord’s help. Psalm 35:28 says, “My tongue will proclaim your righteousness, your praises all day long.” David finds hope in the Lord as God defends David against those who malign him. Ultimately, David is restored and later becomes king of Israel.
Not all of us are kings, however. While God does restorative work, there are untold thousands who have been incarcerated unjustly. There are many who have been jailed for decades and even put to death who are innocent. There are organizations like The Innocence Project who work on behalf of innocent victims to free them from incarceration. Click here to learn more and to contribute to their good work.
When I was the victim of spoofing, I was treated unjustly and blamed as the perpetrator. How often are victims in society today blamed for their circumstances which are beyond their control? Do we blame people who are innocent but go to jail simply because they happen to be at the wrong place and the wrong time? Do we blame poor people for being poor because we think they are not trying, that they are lazy, that they aren’t smart enough (or whatever, fill in the blank) to be successful? Or do we recognize that the institutions in this world are set up to enable the wealthy and powerful and to keep poor people poor and powerless?
Perhaps the better question is to ask what we are doing about victim blaming. How are we using our own power and resources to dismantle the powers that continue to oppress? How are we standing up for our neighbor? Whatever we do for the least of these, we do for Jesus (Matthew 25:40*).
Lord, forgive me when I victim blame. Help me show compassion to those less fortunate than myself. May I use my voice, resources, and power to fight injustice and oppression. Amen.
*Jesus speaking in Matthew 25:40 - “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
Text and photograph copyright © 2022 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the interior of La Conciergerie in Paris, France, the French Revolution prison where Marie Antoinette spent her last days.
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe.
A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE: Becoming antiracist is a journey. Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice. Click here to learn more.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
My eyes squint at the clock on the bedside table as I turn on my phone. It’s too early for calls, yet my cell phone is humming. Checking the number, I swipe “decline” as I don’t recognize who is calling. A few minutes pass and my phone rings again. It is also an unknown number but the same area code as the first one. I swipe “decline” again, thinking that if it is important, they will leave a message. Little do I know as I start my day that this phone scenario will repeat itself over thirty times, each time a different number within the same area code.
Realizing I have some voicemail messages, I start checking them. Interestingly, two of the messages contain words that very emphatically direct me not to keep calling them! What? I haven’t made any phone calls all day. Why do they think I called them when they had clearly called me? I am the victim of this scam, but they think I am the perpetrator!
A trip to the local phone company sheds light on this situation. I have been spoofed! Since this is a technological term I am not familiar with, they explain that there are apps to make prank phone calls, but now spam callers use these apps to hide behind legitimate phone numbers such as mine in order to make their spam calls. In other words, when a spammer calls someone, my number pops up on the display. I am definitely a victim, but so are the other people who thought I had repeatedly called them because they are the potential victims of the scammer. The phone calls add unwanted stress to my day (and months ahead) and I feel as if my privacy and my identity are violated. I also feel wrongly accused of making numerous annoying phone calls when I had not called anyone at all.
Penning Psalm 35, David expresses his feelings of being falsely accused. Hunted by a deranged king by the name of Saul, David is on the run. Having been falsely accused of many things and persecuted by Saul, David is the derision of his people. In verse 20, he writes, “They do not speak peaceably, but devise false accusations against those who live quietly in the land.” In his anguish, David tries to remove himself from the situation as best as he can. He knows he is innocent of the accusations. In verses 22-24, he prays to God and says, “LORD, you have seen this; do not be silent. Do not be far from me, Lord. Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord. Vindicate me in your righteousness, LORD my God; do not let them gloat over me.” Before God begins to answer his prayers, David praises Him, confident of the Lord’s help. Psalm 35:28 says, “My tongue will proclaim your righteousness, your praises all day long.” David finds hope in the Lord as God defends David against those who malign him. Ultimately, David is restored and later becomes king of Israel.
Not all of us are kings, however. While God does restorative work, there are untold thousands who have been incarcerated unjustly. There are many who have been jailed for decades and even put to death who are innocent. There are organizations like The Innocence Project who work on behalf of innocent victims to free them from incarceration. Click here to learn more and to contribute to their good work.
When I was the victim of spoofing, I was treated unjustly and blamed as the perpetrator. How often are victims in society today blamed for their circumstances which are beyond their control? Do we blame people who are innocent but go to jail simply because they happen to be at the wrong place and the wrong time? Do we blame poor people for being poor because we think they are not trying, that they are lazy, that they aren’t smart enough (or whatever, fill in the blank) to be successful? Or do we recognize that the institutions in this world are set up to enable the wealthy and powerful and to keep poor people poor and powerless?
Perhaps the better question is to ask what we are doing about victim blaming. How are we using our own power and resources to dismantle the powers that continue to oppress? How are we standing up for our neighbor? Whatever we do for the least of these, we do for Jesus (Matthew 25:40*).
Lord, forgive me when I victim blame. Help me show compassion to those less fortunate than myself. May I use my voice, resources, and power to fight injustice and oppression. Amen.
*Jesus speaking in Matthew 25:40 - “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
Text and photograph copyright © 2022 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the interior of La Conciergerie in Paris, France, the French Revolution prison where Marie Antoinette spent her last days.
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe.
A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE: Becoming antiracist is a journey. Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice. Click here to learn more.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
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