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Sustain me according to Your word, that I may live; and do not let me be ashamed of my hope. Psalm 119:116  NASB

Do not let me be ashamed – One of the most terrifying words of the Tanakh is bôš.  It means “be ashamed, put to shame, disconcerted, disappointed.”  In the ancient world, shame was not an internal emotion.  It was public humiliation.  As we noted before:

The word is often paralleled with kālam “to be humiliated,” and less frequently with ḥātat “to be shattered, dismayed.” As these parallels suggest, the force of bôš is somewhat in contrast to the primary meaning of the English “to be ashamed,” in that the English stresses the inner attitude, the state of mind, while the Hebrew means “to come to shame” and stresses the sense of public disgrace, a physical state. ^[1]

The third usage and the one that is most common carries the above thought further expressing the disgrace which is the result of defeat at the hands of an enemy, either in battle or in some other manner. In particular, the awful shame of being paraded as captives is thought of (Mic 1:11; cf. also Jer 2:26). Involved here are all the nuances of confusion, disillusionment, humiliation, and brokenness which the word connotes. . . Intimately associated with this third use of the word is the question of trust. If Israel seeks to insure (sic)her own glory by refusing to trust in God but rather trusts in idols (Isa 1:29) or in foreign nations (Isa 20:5; 30:3,5), she will not get glory, but shame and disgrace. On the other hand, if one will humbly submit to God, he will find his true glory, for God will not let that person come to shame (Isa 29:22; Joel 2:26, 27; Zeph 3:19).^[2]

Now we know what we’re dealing with.  Following a verse that demands standing up in the group and asking those who are opposed to God’s ways to depart, we discover the psalmist pleads that such an action will not result in public humiliation, for if it did the entire effort to demonstrate obedience would be questioned.  In case you didn’t realize it, this happens a lot.  Perhaps even to you.  In our “civilized” world, it’s called “making a spectacle of yourself.”  How many times have we withheld our testimony because it might lead to embarrassment?  And worse, how often have we actually stood up for God’s ways only to find out that things didn’t work out the way we expected them to.  More embarrassment.  And in the biblical world, where public reputation was paramount, opting to put oneself at risk on God’s behalf carried fairly severe consequences (ask Daniel).  Is there any wonder that the psalmist follows verse 115 with this plea?  If we’re going to take the risk of declaring our commitment to God in public, we desperately want God to endorse and vindicate us.

Just in case you didn’t make the connection, this is what is happening when Yeshua voices the first line of Psalm 22 from the cross.  His public testimony was completely at risk.  Everything looked like an utter disaster.  All that he claimed about his relationship with the Father was challenged.  There couldn’t be a situation more in need of vindication.  And he reminds the crowd that what they are witnessing is not what they think.  He is being vindicated, and only those who recognize the authority of Psalm 22 will realize it.  For most of us, this would hardly be enough.  We would suffer through the event (not crucifixion, of course) only to deal with our embarrassment later.  Or perhaps we wouldn’t take the risk.  It’s not easy to say, is it?  Are we so sensitive to social acceptance that we ignore this verse?

Topical Index: embarrassment, exoneration, bôš, humiliation, Psalm 22, Psalm 119:116

^[1] Oswalt, J. N. (1999). 222 בּוֹשׁ. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 97). Moody Press.

^[2] Ibid.