Practical Reflections on Honor and Shame in Scripture
Christian Devotionals, Christian Personal Growth, Christian Spiritual Growth
Co-Author: Ryan Jensen
Date Published: September 27, 2022
Publisher: Lucid Books
Honor and shame influence every major aspect of life, whether in relationships, politics, or social media. It's not surprising, then, to find that honor and shame shape the biblical message and all that Christians are called to be. Unfortunately, many leaders and laypersons do not grasp the theological and practical significance of these concepts for the church.
Therefore, this book provides an accessible entry point for engaging these topics in everyday Christian living. Seeking God's Face contains 101 practical reflections on honor and shame taken from across the pages of Scripture. It presents honor and shame, not as abstract concepts, but as compelling issues that affect evangelism, spiritual formation, and discipleship. Seeking God's Face equips readers to interpret the biblical text faithfully and apply its message meaningfully.
Jeremiah 13 begins
with God instructing the prophet to purchase a loincloth and then bury it in a
rocky place, where it will inevitably become ruined. This act symbolizes
Judah’s great pride, which clings to them like a loincloth and ruins them. As a
result of Judah’s pride and idolatry, exile is threatened: “The towns of the
Negeb are shut up with no one to open them; all Judah is taken into exile,
wholly taken into exile” (13:19).
God foresees Judah’s
objection to this condemnation. He answers, “And if you say in your heart, ‘Why
have these things come upon me?’ it is for the greatness of your iniquity that
your skirts are lifted up, and you suffer violence” (13:22). Judah will not
suffer innocently. God will ensure that their life of pride results in
humiliation. It is the Lord who will “lift up their skirts” in order to expose
their disgrace. These words show that judgment for sin goes beyond a legal
sentence and includes tangible shame.
A nearly
identical condemnation is seen elsewhere, “I am against you, says the Lord of
hosts, and will lift up your skirts over your face; and I will let nations look
on your nakedness and kingdoms on your shame” (Nah. 3:5). The nation that was
once viewed as honorable and respected by those surrounding it is now destined
for shame and disrepute if they continue to reject the Lord. Similarly, we
dishonor God with our sinfulness, and our shame will one day be exposed. The
reputable life that we have built for ourselves will come crashing down.
Yet, this is not the
end of the story. Jeremiah prophesies about the coming righteous Branch (Jer.
23:5–6; 33:14–16), promising that he will “restore [Judah’s] fortunes, and will
have mercy upon them” (Jer. 33:26). Centuries later, this righteous Branch,
Jesus, came to reconcile to God those who would believe in him:
Indeed, God did not
send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world
might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but
those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed
in the name of the only Son of God.
—John 3:17–18
If we
pridefully assume that our heritage or involvement in Christian activities will
save us, we too will be condemned, and our disgrace will be exposed. Indeed,
apart from Christ, our destiny is shame.
About the Author
Jackson Wu (pseudonym; PhD, SEBTS) is the theologian in residence with Global Training Network. He worked in East Asia for almost two decades, teaching theology and missiology to Chinese pastors. His books include One Gospel for All Nations, Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes, and The Cross in Context. His blog is jacksonwu.org.
Ryan Jensen lived in East Asia for five years while he taught at a university. He earned a PhD in Intercultural Studies from Biola University, and he holds an MA in Intercultural Studies and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from Wheaton College. Connect with Ryan at drryanjensen.com.
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