Day 44: Shame and Repentance (SoS 1:6a)

Do not look upon me, because I am dark, Because the sun has tanned me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; They made me the keeper of the vineyards, But my own vineyard I have not kept. Song of Songs 1:6

In lesson 42 we looked at why the Bride's statement I am dark but lovely was directed to the daughters of Jerusalem (fellow believers). In this verse, the Bride speaks to them from a place of deep hurt and perhaps shame. Her appearance was different from theirs: her dark skin stood out beside their fair skin. She states the reason but first, let's look at why the Bride is more conscious of her darkness than her loveliness.

This is a stage many go through in early Christian life or when they experience exposure of some weakness whether to themselves, a few or the public. There is a knowing of loveliness to God but the knowledge of those flaws seems to supersede it.

While it is good to feel remorse when we see how truly sinful or flawed we are, it should never result in shame. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 7:9-10 about his correction of the Corinthian church in his first letter to them:

“Now I’m glad—not that you were upset, but that you were jarred into turning things around. You let the distress bring you to God, not drive you from him. The result was all gain, no loss. Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets.” (Message)

Sin breeds shame, the desire to hide, to hide from others our struggles. Shame in turn breeds sin, it's the environment where sin thrives because if you think you're dirty, you will live dirty. It's a principle stated in Proverbs 23:7 that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. When you fail and are tempted to hide, remember that God loves you regardless and wants you to run to and not from Him. The essence of sorrow from sin or weakness should be repentance and not withdrawal from God. 

God wants us to feel desired, delighted in, dignified, redeemed, justified, and pure before Him because that is what we are in Christ no matter what we do. As stated in a previous lesson, it's not permission to live recklessly but to have God's image of us which eventually leads to transformation.

On the flip side, when we find that we are not the one whose flaw is exposed to all, we must not be intolerant of people. In Obadiah 1:12 God expressed His displeasure with Edom the descendants of Esau:

"Your brothers in Judah were in great trouble. You thought that you were better than they. But you were wrong to think that. You should not have been happy when the people in Judah were dying. You should not have been happy when they were in trouble." (Easy English Bible)

There is a quote by Andy Mineo in Derek Minor's song In His Image that I love so much and has stuck with me from the first day I heard it.

“Love God, love people, and thoroughly hate sin.”

So while we may sometimes not be the ones in the spotlight for our weaknesses, we must make sure we do not ridicule or criticize people at low points in their lives. We must follow the example of our Lord Jesus who loves us but hates our sins. Because of His love, He gave His life to rid us of our sins so we may be reconciled to God. We must in the same way love people and hate their sins so much we are willing to do whatever we can to get them reconciled with God and restored to the body without them ever doubting our love.

PRAY WITH ME:

Lord, thank you for your love that covers our multitude of sins. I come before you assured of that which Crist has done on the cross. I obtain forgiveness for my errors and whatever ways I have been critical of people in their times of weakness. Amen.

REFLECT AND ACT:

• If you feel depressed or tempted to hide because of a sin or weakness, do not run from God. He wants you to run to Him unashamed. 1 John 1:9 says:

“But if we freely admit our sins when his light uncovers them, he will be faithful to forgive us every time. God is just to forgive us our sins because of Christ, and he will continue to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (The Passion Translation)

• If there is anyone around you whom you have been critical of their weakness, ask the Lord to forgive you. Take it a step further by asking for their forgiveness. Then ask the Lord to show you how you can help them be reconciled to God and restored.