Fear, Shame and Honour

UV 1455/10,000 Fear, Shame and Honour
Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.
Isaiah 54 v 4

The other day someone who lived in Japan for some time told me that unlike other nations, the Japanese code of ethics is not one of right and wrong but one of honour and shame. The fear of shame is one of the drivers of human nature. The World Bank President who was accused of molesting a maid who had come into his hotel room in New York had a history of such peccadillos. He had hardened his mind and deadened his conscience not to be ashamed even if he was accused of such crimes and misdemenours. Today, many leaders have lost their sense of shame. They have become insensitive and callous. Bill Clinton the US President at no point said he was ashamed in all the years since he was accused and subsequently proved of misdemeanour with the young intern Lewinsky. The wily and powerful use their connections, money and influence to wriggle out of such shameful situations. A sense of shame and honour is relegated to an outdated middle class virtue. When the sense of right and wrong is gone, the goal posts keep changing, the sense of honour and shame will be found missing. But,a sense of honour and shame is one of the built in defences and guideposts the Lord has created in us. It should never be killed or deadened. When one is young and inexperienced all of us make mistakes, some of these are secret and known only to us. But these unconfessed errors leave a long shadow of guilt and shame over the course of a whole life. But this uni-verse promises that the Lord will deliver us from our shame- past, present and future. The memories of the shame of our youth will be reduced to forgotten traces. He declares our character and integrity beyond reproach.

A former chief of the police while he was in service told me that one of his greatest desires was to retire undishonoured. The desire to be undishonoured is even greater than the desire to be honoured. This led to many Japanese generals and admirals taking their own lives as the end of the Second World War drew to an end. The fear of dishonour or shame particularly for persons in position and authority gnaws at their well being and esteem. But the Lord is a shield against this kind of fear. He assures us that we need not fear dishonour or shame. He promises us, “ You will not be put to shame.”
A widow is always more vulnerable to dishonour given her loneliness and vulnerability. But the Lord says that He is like a husband to the widow. When we hide in the Lord instead of hiding from Him, He hides our shame, the defeat, disappointment and failures of our own lives. He covers us under His wings of prayer and the Word and lifts us up in His time, whether in this lifetime or in the timeless, borderless expanses of eternity. We have no need to be confused or confounded. We will have a clear mind as we will be unburdened of the load of the past. We can walk into the light unhindered by baggage from our past. The Lord will give us clear directions and we will know exactly what we need to do in every situation in life.

Prateep V Philip