Soul Wounds

“Fear not for you will not be put to shame; neither feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced;  but you will forget the shame of your youth, . .”   Isaiah 54:4 NASB

Put to shame – Humiliated, shamed, wounded in spirit and soul – have you been the victim of such powerful emotions?  It doesn’t matter if you are to blame for the circumstances that brought about such damage.  Whether you are innocent or guilty, the consequences are the same.  But God has good news.  “Rejoice, unfruitful one.”  Yes, that would be me.  Perhaps you too.  “Rejoice!”  God likes the word lo (the strongest Hebrew word for “not”).  He brings a different set of emotions:  not shamed, not disgraced.  There’s a reason why we didn’t include “not humiliated” in this list, as we shall see.  For now, we can start with “shame.”

There are several important meanings for this word.  The primary meaning of the Hebrew root (bosh) is “to fall into disgrace.”  In English, the connotation of shame is an inward one, stressing a state of mind known to the self.  This is not the case with the Hebrew word.  This word emphasizes public disgrace, a physical rather than a psychic state.  A second connotation in Hebrew is the sense of confusion or embarrassment when things turn out badly.  Thirdly, the word may also carry the sense of disgrace that accompanies defeat or failure.  A fourth nuance of this word is found in the results that are produced by immoral or foolish action.  Finally there is the sense of feeling guilty for doing something wrong.

The spiritual underpinnings of these uses of the word are all associated with the question of trust in God.  Whether the circumstances involved an individual or a nation, the issue of being put to shame is always a matter of trying to bring some desire to pass without divine guidance or involvement.  Whenever we try to live life without God-consciousness, God tells us that we will be put to shame.  As Yeshua renews our lives, we can easily identify with all five uses of this Hebrew word.  We have experienced public disgrace, confusion, the sense of failure, humiliation for our immoral acts and tremendous guilt.

But this verse promises us something entirely different.  God Himself promises that He will insure that we are not put to shame.  Moreover, He will help us forget the tyranny of our past.  Our shame cannot be overcome except by His divine intervention, but when He does intercede, He does more than forgive; He helps us forget.  What a blessing it is to know that as we continue with Him, those terrible reminders of our lives of chaos will slowly be replaced.  Forgetting will comfort us.  And when we stand before Him on the last day, all of our disgraceful acts will have been erased.  Free at last!  Free at last!

Topical Index: put to shame, bosh, disgrace, humiliation, Isaiah 54:4