The awareness of shame is a reckoning with lost innocence, the realization that one now has the potential to hurt another and be hurt, to honor God and to dishonor Him.
Shame is the pervasive effect and affect of sin.
Shame is the raincoat of the soul, repelling the living water that would otherwise establish us as the beloved of God.
We believe falsely that our sin disqualifies us from receiving His love.
Andrew Comisky
As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.
Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually. Psalm 109:18-19
The business of putting on a covering is not new to us. Adam and Eve did it with fig leafs, and it protected their nakedness. In a sense, we could say that it was a good try at hiding their shame.
Nevertheless, putting on shame, confusion, and cursing is not our recommended means for covering shame, most times. Or, is it? In the verses above, confusion means “shame,” and cursing means “to make light.” Shame means to “disgrace.” Andrew Comisky says shame refers to “the realization that one now has the potential to hurt another and be hurt, to honor God and to dishonor Him.” “It is a raincoat.”
So, if we take these Hebrew words and Comisky’s definitions, apply them to our consciousness as a mask for shame, we create an attitude that makes light of God’s missed blessings. We see a mindset developed with a wounded disposition, a hurt, and as we foster our hurt, we are pre-disposed mentally to hurt something or someone else. We gather these clothings until a synthesis of “personality” takes hold, and they become “us” as we develop them further.
We push back now at the potential for receiving the love of God because that is what deceitfulness does. We are “effected” by sin and then take on the “affect” of sin and its disposition. We contemplate the rights of the sinful state; an authority to do as we please. We flirt with the pleasure of potential temptation because our hurt gives us a privilege to. Lets think further.
It springs from resentment toward God and everything/everybody else. “After all, God created such an unfair, dangerous world, where it is impossible to find peace. People don’t understand, they just want to use us,” we say.
LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters or in things too high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child. Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and forever. Psalm 131: 1-3
Have you ever felt abandoned by men or God? This question was posed to me recently and my answer was “yes.” As the feeling grows, added to it are many ugly self-copings as spoken of above. Sour grapes, feelings of abuse, unfairness, shame, and rejection fester and rise as leaven. “God has forsaken me, I have failed Him, I have sinned too badly, and I cannot be pardoned!!”
Now, the question came to me; “what do you do?” My answer went this way; “you must find a “new” God. Obviously your choices are two: succumb to the failure, “curse God and die,” or be weaned, be weaned, be weaned. What do I mean? I mean leave the “God of your understanding” and discover the God of Un-conditional love. Friend, get in your Bible and let Him lead you to “Arms Underneath,” “Upholding” by God’s hand, “Never leaving or forsaking,” A friend that loves at all times.”
We need the “Brother born for adversity,” the “ever present help in times of trouble,” and the one “not ashamed to call us brethren.” We must discover the God who has our names “graven on His palms,” who says, “thou art fair my love, there is no spot in thee.” This same God spoke to Israel and said, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” “let us build again, O virgin Israel.”
Like a baby growing up, there is a move from liquids to solid foods. “Strong meats” in the Bible refers to experience or application of the words we hear. In a sense, this is the movement; from mere mental-knowledge to heart-experience. This shift translates us into the future, moves us out of our emotional premise and begins an objective excitement where our determination involves itself. Summarily, find the Father of Mercy and God of all comfort. He is bigger than your soul filled with rejection. love ya
Thanks, P. Tom, this is another good word.
Robert Siegel
thank you for your kind words Bob