September 17, 2020

 

 

Worship in WORD

Ps 31   For the director of music. A psalm of David.   31 In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. 2 Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. 3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. 4 Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. 5 Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth.   NIV

Ps 31 For the choir director: A psalm of David.   31 1 O Lord, I have come to you for protection; don't let me be disgraced. Save me, for you do what is right. 2 Turn your ear to listen to me; rescue me quickly. Be my rock of protection, a fortress where I will be safe. 3 You are my rock and my fortress. For the honor of your name, lead me out of this danger. 4 Pull me from the trap my enemies set for me, for I find protection in you alone. 5 I entrust my spirit into your hand. Rescue me, Lord, for you are a faithful God.   Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

Ps 31   To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.     31 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. 2 Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. 3 For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. 4 Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength. 5 Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth. KJV

Ps 31   Into Your Hand I Commit My Spirit To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.   31 In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! 2 Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! 3 For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; 4 you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. 5 Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. ESV

I. Hope – vv. 1-8

            A. Verse 1: Action

            B. Verse 2: Appeal

            C. Verses 3 & 4: Acknowledge

            D. Verse 5: Abandon       

II. Help! – vv. 9-20

III. Hail – vv. 21-22

IV. Heart – vv. 23-24

 

I. Hope – vv. 1-8

   A. Verse 1: Action

Immediately following on the heels of David’s declaration, “In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge,” is what seems to be an impertinent petition.

“let me never be put to shame” – NIV, ESV

If David really trusted in God as his “Rock of Refuge,” how could he ask for such a thing?

 

Let me never be ashamed. How can the Lord permit the man to be ultimately put to shame who depends alone upon him? This would not be dealing like a God of truth and grace. It would bring dishonour upon God himself if faith were not in the end rewarded. It will be an ill day indeed for religion when trust in God brings no consolation and no assistance.

(from The Treasury of David, Biblesoft formatted electronic database Copyright © 2014 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

 

Such is the tension I feel when I read David’s plea. A tension that is not relieved when I read the commentaries I have access to, for none of them seem to feel that tension as I do.

Perhaps the answer is partially found in studying the meaning of shame in the society that David lived. When we speak of shame today, we immediately think of the emotion we associate with feeling ashamed. However, in the world in which the biblical characters lived, it was also associated with values and honor.

The Holman Bible Dictionary says:

SHAME AND HONOR Sociological studies have increased appreciation for shame and honor as two pivotal values in ancient societies. As a noun, honor approximates our ideas of esteem, respect, (high) regard, or (good) reputation. Shame, the opposite of honor, approximates humiliation or loss of standing...

 

To honor is to recognize the value of someone or thing and to act accordingly... To shame someone is to challenge that one's reputation or to disregard his or her worth. The ancients viewed every human action and interaction as an occasion for either gaining honor, that is, increasing one's value in the public eye, or for being shamed, that is, having one's estimation degraded. The desire to maintain one's honor and to avoid shame or dishonor was a powerful incentive for right action (Job 11:3; Ps 70:3; Ezek 43:10).

(from Holman Bible Dictionary. Copyright © 1991 by Holman Bible Publishers. All rights reserved.)

 

Shame, therefore, had both societal repercussions as well as ethical ramifications.

 

So we see why shame was a big deal to David. This is also evident from the fact that this was not the only place we find David making this request. Psalm 31:1-3 is repeated almost verbatim in Psalm 71:1-3 (though some question if David is the author of 71). In fact, I have already come across this same plea from David when studying Psalm 25:2. Reminded of this, I went back and looked at what I said there.

 

1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;

2 in you I trust, O my God.

Do not let me be put to shame,

nor let my enemies triumph over me.

3 No one whose hope is in you

will ever be put to shame,

but they will be put to shame

who are treacherous without excuse

Psalm 25:1-3 NIV (’84)

 

I did not feel the same tension I felt when I read Psalm 31:1. The problem with me is that I often don’t allow the same humanity for the saints of God in the Bible as I afford myself. However, in Psalm 25, I wrote:

 

The first line in the petition speaks of the personal shame he would face as a result of being defeated by his enemies. Is this just a selfish prayer? No, but it is an honest prayer. David has placed his trust in God and doesn’t want that trust to be a misplaced trust. Perhaps David is saying, “LORD I have lifted myself up to You. Please don’t let me down.” Because he trusted in God, he did not expect to be put to shame, but he expected his enemies to be (v3).

 

David’s petition in Psalm 31:1 to never be put to shame lends an authenticity to his prayer. He didn’t gloss over his doubts and fears. He expressed them. Undergirding it all, however, was a concern for the honor of God. I believe David, the “man after God’s own heart,” was less concerned about being shamed, as he was for God’s honor to be discredited. So he prays:

 

 In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge;

let me never be put to shame;

deliver me in your righteousness.

2 Turn your ear to me,

come quickly to my rescue;

be my rock of refuge,

a strong fortress to save me.

3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,

for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

Ps 31:1-3 NIV

Kidner comments:

Note the good grounds of his appeal: not his persuasiveness but God’s righteousness (2), i.e. God’s concern to see justice done; not so much the thought of his own good name (put to shame, 1) as that of God’s (3b; cf. 23:3)

Kidner, D. (1973). Psalms 1–72: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 15, p. 148). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

 

I believe behind David’s prayer is an attitude found in the opening words of the Lord’s prayer:

 

 Matt 6:9-10

 

⁹ "This, then, is how you should pray:

"'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

¹⁰ your kingdom come, your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

NIV

 

And his plea not to be “put to shame,” was similar in spirit to the fifth petition in the Lord’s prayer:

 

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.

Matt 6:13 NIV

 

I will end this portion of my journal with the words I end with my study with in Psalm 25 for March 15, 2016.

The testimony of the saints is that even in the midst of suffering, they know that the God of hope will not disappoint, allow ultimate defeat, and dishonor His people or His name.

 

 

Worship in Witness:

When we pray, we must be completely honest. After all, God knows our thoughts. We cannot hide them from God.

 

1 O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. Ps 139:1-4 NIV

Only with honesty will we be open to God’s answers.

Relief comes when we acknowledge our fears, doubts, and failures. Healing begins when we expose our wounds to the Physician of our souls. And honesty also brings clarity to us to help us see the lies we may be listening to and believe.

Let us also join hope with our honesty.

Not the hope as the world defines it, but as God defines it. Divine hope is a confident expectation that patiently waits on the revelation and fulfillment of the plans, purposes, and promises of our mighty and merciful Maker. Our living and loving LORD. 

 

Honestly

Honestly, Lord, how do You put up with me

I mask my doubts, but You still see

I hide my fears and feign belief

When I confess my failures, You bring relief

 

Relief filled hope is what You provide

Confidence ensues when in You, I confide

Freedom from fear and sweet release

Patient endurance, unfathomable peace

 

Worship in Promise, Poetry, and Praise:

THE ANSWER


The answer is not in plot or plan
But Almighty God and perfect Man
He bore our griefs and our sorrows
He is our hope for all our tomorrows
So, cry out to Him, He’ll heal your pain
Calm your fears and remove your shame

 

This song is out of the norm for me. I discovered it when searching for a song to go along with my study. The lyrics are quite raw in some places. To be honest, I am taken back by some of the words. Yet, despite my hesitancy to use this song, I believe it captures with honesty, the uncertainty that many saints feel on their pilgrimage on the road towards eternity. So often, believing is hard to do because it relies on the strength of sight. But when we journey with the gift of faith which comes from God, we find the power to walk on. Let us openly and honestly acknowledge our fears, failure, foibles, and faintheartedness to our heavenly Father. Then we will find that He will lead us through them and out of them.

Because:

⁸ The Lord is good and does what is right;

he shows the proper path to those who go astray.

⁹ He leads the humble in doing right,

teaching them his way.

 Psalm 25:8-9 NLT

Honest by Influence Music Featuring Melody Noel

[Verse 1]

How can I write to someone I've never seen?

How can I love someone I've yet to meet?

I wanna know

I gotta be honest

 

[Verse 2]

How can I trust someone who says they're good

When it doesn't turn out the way that I think it should?

I wanna know

I'm just being honest

 

[Pre-Chorus 1]

I hope You’re not afraid of my questioning

 

[Chorus 1]

'Cause I will fight, fight, fight

Through the doubt, doubt, doubt

And I will pray, pray, pray

Till faith runs out, out, out

And I will push past the feeling

That You're just too good to be true

But I gotta be honest

Believing is hard to do

 

[Verse 3]

Somehow they know

When You've walk in the room

They laugh and they cry

How am I missing You?

Why do I feel so alone?

 

[Chorus 2]

But I will run, run, run

Back to hope, hope, hope

And I will trust, trust, trust

When I don't know, know, know

And I will push past the feeling

That You're just too good to be true

But I gotta be honest

Believing is hard to

 

[Pre-Chorus]

I hope You're not afraid of my questioning

Am I wasting my breath or are You listening?

'Cause if seeing is believing, how can I believe?

 

[Chorus 3]

But I will fight, fight, fight

Through the doubt, doubt, doubt

And I will pray, pray, pray

Till faith runs out, out, out

And I'll remember the first time

You called me by name

 

[Chorus 4]

But I will run, run, run

Back to hope, hope, hope

And I will trust, trust, trust

When I don’t know, know, know

And I'll remember the first time

My heart felt Your love

 

[Chorus 5]

And I will walk, walk, walk

Not by sight, sight, sight

'Cause I will see You one day

Even if it's on the other side

I will push past the feeling

That You're just too good to be true

But I gotta be honest

Believing is hard to do

 

Written By

Rick Seibold, Lauren Evans, Gabriel Wilson & Melody Noel

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Influence-music-honest-lyrics

Video: https://youtu.be/t7s0p_aygoc

 

Some Further Notes & Quotes:

 

 

1.  Ps 31:1. Let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.

 

It would be to us the shame of shames if God, in whom we put our trust, could fail us. Then, indeed, might the scoffers say, "Where is now their God?" and what should we then be able to say of the righteousness of God? He has pledged Himself that He will never fail nor forsake any one of His people; so, if He ever did fail them, what would become of His honour?

(from Spurgeon's Sermons, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

 

 

2.  SHAME Feelings associated with (but not limited to) failure, public exposure, disgrace, embarrassment, social rejection, ridicule, and dishonor.

 

How Was Shame Viewed in the Ancient World?

 

Generally speaking, shame was a core value in the biblical world (Pilch, Introducing, 49). Greeks, Romans, and Judeans all considered shame to play a pivotal role in their cultures (Neyrey, “Shame of the Cross,” 115). This perspective can be difficult to understand in modern societies, where shame is largely regarded as a private problem. “Guilt” might better describe the corresponding modern value (Pilch, Introducing, 49).

 

Shame Served Several Important Social Functions

 

In the ancient world, shame was connected to one’s public reputation. It refers to a person’s internal experience of disgrace, fearing that others will see how he has dishonored him/herself, often resulting in a preventative attitude that one must remain out of sight in order to avoid being disgraced (Lemos, “Shame and Mutilation,” 227). If someone violated the societal expectations but was not discovered, there was no shame because the deed was not done before the eyes of the public. However, even if one remained out of public scrutiny, shame still followed when God’s law was disregarded (Hos 4:6–7). Shame was the result of sin, but it was removed on the day of liberty and restoration (Isa 61:7).

 

Shame was seen to play a healthy role in society, encouraging people to be sensitive to their honor in the eyes of others. Shame promoted positive behavior (Judg 3:24–25). Thus, an honorable individual always had a sense of shame (Pilch, Introducing, 53). Consequently, shame enabled dignified living among other people because it involved acceptance of and respect for the rules of human interaction (Malina, New Testament, 44). A shameless person disregarded these rules. With this in mind, shame is mentioned in Proverbs 10:5; 12:4; 13:5; 14:35; 17:2; 18:3; 19:26; 25:8; 25:9–10; 28:7; 29:15 (Pilch, Introducing, 61).

 

Shame was a key value in warfare. A warrior who fled from battle was viewed as a disgrace—out of fear of shame, a soldier would fight to the death rather than put his personal safety above the city’s safety (DeSilva, Honor, 25). However, once defeated, shame still could be present.

 

Techniques such as enemies being thrown at the feet of the victor were aimed at bringing dishonor or shame on the person. For example, Joshua orders his captains to “put [their] feet on the necks” of the defeated kings (Josh 10:24). This gesture provides a public display of physical dominance (Matthews, “Making Your Point,” 22) and dishonors the defeated kings. The Psalms contain numerous prayers requesting shame to come on the supplicant’s enemies (Pss 6:10; 35:4, 26; 40:14–15; 39:8).

 

Key Terms for and Examples of Shame in the Bible

 

Shame factors into many passages throughout the Bible and can be indicated by a range of words. These include nouns such as “dishonor” and “disgrace,” as well as verbs like “scorn,” “despise,” “revile,” “reproach,” “rebuke,” “insult,” “blaspheme,” “deride,” and “mock.”

 

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).

 

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.