Overcoming Shame - Meditations on Nehemiah 1

"And they said to me, "The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire."" (Nehemiah 1:3, ESV)
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The Jews had begun restoring the walls of Jerusalem some years earlier under the direction of Ezra (Ezra 4:12). After certain people wrote a letter complaining to Artaxerxes, they were forced to stop building. Although they were later permitted to continue the work, they only finished the temple. The report that Nehemiah received from his brother indicated that the walls were still in a state of disrepair and the gates of the city had been burned. This news depressed Nehemiah, but why? The answer is to be found in the word shame.

In the Bible, to be put to shame means that a person' hopes or expectations fail. For example, Psalm 119:116 says, "Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope!" David hoped in God's promise; he expected God to be faithful to do what he had said. For David to be put to shame would have meant that God's promise failed and David's expectation was disappointed.

The Jews of pre-exilic Judah had not hoped in God's promises. They had forsaken God and had been unfaithful to the covenant. As a result, God declared that he would send the Babylonians to judge his people (Habakkuk 1:5-11). The city would be laid in ruins and the walls torn down. The people of Judah would become the object of scorn and ridicule to the surrounding nations (Jeremiah 24:9; Ezekiel 5:14-15; 22:4-5). God would prove to them, and to everyone else, that the things in which they put their trust, the things that they believed would deliver them from foreign armies and keep them secure, were powerless. God would put them to shame. This prophecy was fulfilled by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 B.C.

The reason Nehemiah was depressed at the news, therefore, was that he considered the current condition of the walls of Jerusalem to be a reason for continued shame. But while the initial shame of the Jews was due to their unfaithfulness, the shame experienced by the Jews of Nehemiah's day was quite different. Now, the shame had to do with their trust in God. Whereas the former shame came from God's stripping away all false hopes, the present shame came from opponents who ridiculed them for believing that their God would help them.

Psalm 79 tells us about the situation. Asaph questioned God, "Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?'" (Psalm 79:10). He recognized that their taunts were not ultimately directed against the people, but against God: "Return sevenfold into the lap of our neighbors the taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord!" (79:12). The shame to which Jerusalem was being subjected was the assertion that God would not hear, that God was powerless. 

We all know that past sins often have consequences that affect both the present and the future. Like the Jews of Nehemiah's day, you may be suffering from the lingering consequences of past sins, or perhaps from the sins of others. Like the broken down walls of Jerusalem, the circumstances in your life serve to remind you of your shame and guilt. Perhaps there are even others around you who believe it their personal responsibility to remind you of your past failure.Perhaps you are beginning to wonder whether God would accept someone like you.

Nehemiah and Asaph both responded to their shame in the same way. They sought comfort, not in their circumstances, but in the covenant faithfulness of God. If we are to overcome our own shame, we must follow their examples. Look to God's character and promises; he has promised to receive those who come to him in Christ and he will do so. Confess your sin and guilt; he has promised to forgive those who confess. Plead with God for mercy - he has promised that everyone who calls on his name will be saved. Place your confidence in God's loving care and in your relationship with him; he is your Father and is committed to exalting you in Christ.