When I was a disobedient child, my parents would say, “shame on you! You know better!”
But not today. We are afraid of parenting without compassion, or making our children feel like a failure.
But God wasn’t afraid. In Ezekiel 16, God gave stern words of correction to the city of Jerusalem, his favorite child.
“Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.” Ezekiel 16:49-50 NKJV
God accused the city of Sodom of gluttony, pride and laziness, while the poor suffered. So God wiped them out. But He was much tougher on Jerusalem.
“You have done far more detestable things than your sisters ever did. They seem righteous compared to you. Shame on you! Your sins are so terrible that you make your sisters seem righteous, even virtuous.” Ezekiel 16:51-52 NLT
God rebukes Jerusalem for her wayward behavior, and wants her to feel her own shame and responsibility for her evil choices. Her many sins have blinded her to her true condition.
There’s always hope. God points to a judgmentday when they will remember.
“And I will reaffirm my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord. You will remember your sins and cover your mouth in silent shame when I forgive you of all that you have done. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!” Ezekiel 16:62-63 NLT
Think of it. They will cover their own mouth in shame when they remember all the wicked and shameful things they allowed in their city. Their shame precedes their repentance.
Shame should never be connected to our worth. Rather it points to our behavior, which is our choice. We need shame to help us feel the consequences of our sinful behavior, which helps us want to change. Shame can awaken us to our higher worth and potential in God.
We must remind people Jesus took our shame on the cross. We must remember from where we have fallen, and the horrible sins we’ve allowed….and then truly repent!
“Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.”Revelation 2:5 NLT