Personal Shame Study

Why Shame?

On July 21st, I received two prophetic words. One was a dream from Kathy about Pastor Greathouse and the other was from Diane. She quoted , “I set my face like a flint and I know that I shall not be ashamed.” When she said that, the word “ashamed” stood out to me immediately. I knew there was something there.

Then this weekend (labor day 2019) I went to the Heaven Come conference and for the entire time, the word “shame” kept coming up in the worship. And I felt Holy Spirit was directing me to study shame because I have a lot of it in all areas. I also feel He wants to prepare me for growth and that shame will cause me to not manage people well and to desire recognition from others leading to a fall later.

What Is Shame?

Shame is “feelings associated with (but not limited to) failure, public exposure, disgrace, embarrassment, social rejection, ridicule, and dishonor.”

In , it means “disgraced, be humiliated, put to shame, i.e. be of low status and little honor or respect…NOT HAVE ESSENTIAL THINGS NECESSARY FOR NORMAL OR PROSPEROUS LIFE, as an extension of being in a disgraceful condition of low status.” It’s tied to lack.

Dictionary.com says that status is, “the position of an individual in relation to another or others, especially in regard to social or professional standing.” Status is definitely tied to comparison. Its word origin is the CONDITION OF STANDING. The image that comes to me is of me standing next to others and coming up short based on specific qualifiers like the size of my church, financial condition, and professional standing. It reminds me of the days where slaves were paraded before crowds naked and chosen based on their ability to work. I ALWAYS FEEL I’M NOT WORKING ENOUGH, GOING AFTER IT HARD ENOUGH, OR PUTTING IN THE EFFORT. Why? COME BACK HERE.

To be seen naked was considered extremely shameful in many ancient cultures. Nakedness is tied to judgment. ; ; .

(NKJV)

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

The Passion Translation: New Testament Chapter 4

By living in God, love has been brought to its full expression in us so that we may fearlessly face the day of judgment, because all that Jesus now is, so are we in this world.

The NLT says, “If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.”

Perfect means “to bring to completeness, wholeness.” Also “bring to maturity, full grown.” Obviously, I need wholeness in this area and more maturing of love.

Shame is also “The feeling of psychological pain that follows or is experienced when a person realizes that an act has been committed that does not live up to ideals or expectations; the sense of discomfort that arises in the wake of a sensed failure. Shame can be felt on behalf of oneself, of another person or a group.

The feeling of psychological pain that follows or is experienced when a person realizes that an act has been committed that does not live up to ideals or expectations; the sense of discomfort that arises in the wake of a sensed failure. Shame can be felt on behalf of oneself, of another person or a group.

Grenz, S. J., & Smith, J. T. (2003). In Pocket Dictionary of Ethics (p. 108). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Shame was a core value in the Biblical World. In the ancient world, shame was connected to one’s public reputation.

In the ancient world, shame was connected to one’s public reputation.

Seal, D. (2016). Shame. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

The Lexham Bible Dictionary Shame in the Biblical Text

Shame was a significant factor in the crucifixion of Jesus. Although the Gospels record in varying degrees the physical torture of Jesus, they all emphsize the attempts to shame Him. These techniques include:

• spitting on Jesus (Matt 26:67; 27:30; Mark 10:33–34; 14:65; 15:19);

• striking Jesus in the face and head (Matt 26:67; 27:30; Mark 14:65; 15:19);

• stripping off Jesus’ clothes (Matt 27:28);

• ridiculing Jesus (Matt 27:28–29, 31, 41–43; Mark 15:18–20, 31; Luke 23:11, 35–37; John 19:2–3, 5);

• insulting Jesus (Matt 27:44; Mark 15:32, 36).

Jesus took my shame in these specific ways. The fact that the physical torture Jesus endured was all attempts to shame Him, that tells me that shame is a go-to weapon of the enemy and it must be powerful.

In , Adam and Eve hid WHEN THEY HEARD THE VOICE OF GOD because afraid and naked. Naked “implies shame.” Part of the two dominant works of the cross was to conquer fear and shame.

Spitting. This indicated “gross contempt, the strong sign of contempt, and insult.” Insult means to jump on in insolent (boldly rude and disrespectful) triumph.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again.”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again.”

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Ashamed is disgraced (kalam like in ) “be humiliated, put to shame, i.e. to be of low status and little honor or respect, etc.”

In , not building up a brother’s house was answered with spitting in one’s face. But in , the verse right above the one Diane gave me is “I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out my bear; and I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.” Wow! How? He kept the prize, the goal before Him and endured the shame. He set His face like flint! I will not be moved from the path based on any outside circumstances that seem like shame because in the end, the enemy will be shamed!

Jesus was shamed and disgraced so I no longer have to live in shame and disgrace!

Shame and disgrace is also apparently tied with being cut off from others. Again that component of not being accepted or part of a family and of being held in esteem. I am gauging esteem on numbers and success.

I looked up disgrace at dictionary.com and it is “the state of being out of favor; exclusion from favor, confidence, or trust.” Grace in the Latin is “kindness, favor, and esteem.” I already have a lot of favor from the Lord but I don’t always feel it apparently.

Esteem means “to honor, conceived of as positively acknowledging, recognizing, or esteeming someone’s character, nature or attributes.” Means glorify. Also means “to treasure.” To be thought highly of. SO IT APPEARS THAT I’M LOOKING FOR HONOR FROM PEOPLE INSTEAD OF FATHER. I did that in youth group. I liked the esteem I was held in and others looking to me for answers and guidance.

Striking. In , the soldiers blindfold Him commanding that He prophesy to them which one hit Him as they hurled terrible insults to Him. Hit (striking the face) in the Greek means to strike but also “sting of the scorpion.”

In , Jesus said that He had given us authority to trample on scorpions. TPT says, “you will trample upon every demon before you and overcome every power Satan possesses.” This had to be purchased so Jesus felt the “sting of the scorpion.”

But what stands out to me is that He was experienced the EXACT OPPOSITE of what He taught and knew to be truth. The enemy was spitefully challenging what He said. He was contradicting Him, which is a form of shame.

It also seems that they struck Him just below the eye. It was an open palm slapping, which is even more insulting. When you’re struck just below the eye, it stings and blurs vision. It carries the idea of wearing out. It’s like when you’ve believed God and yet everywhere you turn, you’re slapped below the eye with other people’s success in the very area you’re going after. It’s stinging and meant to wear you out and lose vision. But Jesus took the strikes and kept the vision so I, too, can keep the vision!

The enemy will try to shame me by pointing out contradiction to the Word and promises of God in my life as if evidence that I’m not who I think I am and to shame me.

RESEARCH WHERE IN LIFE EACH ONE APPLIES.

DO THE 5 WHY’S FROM ABOVE.