Neh 1:3-4 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.” As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
Ready Nehemiah 1:1-11
At one point or another of our lives we have felt shame. But how do we deal with shame?
Picture a room, Sartre tells us.(see his book “Being and Nothingness”) Now picture someone inside this room. On the outside there is someone else peering in—viewed or unviewed, real or imagined. This, he says, is the essence of shame. To be viewed by an unviewed viewer is dehumanizing Sartre argues. As Christians this is actually the beginning of true freedom.
One of the greatest problems we humans face is the issue of shame. When we do something wrong we feel a sense of shame. Nehemiah tells us the story of an exiled people feeling shame. The walls that covered them and made them feel secure were battered down by foreign powers. They face the national shame of feeling defenseless. Internally, they feel the personal shame that their individual actions have let God down. They have collective and individual shame.
In verses 3 and 4 we see two possible reactions to this same situation. One may feel an unhealthy shame or one can choose, much like Nehemiah, to have Godly guilt. Shame is self-centred and only sees the effects of one’s actions in relation to oneself. Guilt sees the effects one’s actions in respect to others.
This is the difference between remorse and repentance. If we are only remorseful, we only feel sorry for our actions and their effects on us. If we are repentant, we feel sorry for actions and their repercussions towards others.
Nehemiah’s prayer is one of repentance. He issues what many call the 7 A’s of Confession. He:
- Addresses everyone involved (All those whom he has affected)
- Avoids if, but, and maybe (He does not try to excuse his wrongs)
- Admits specifically (He admits both attitudes and actions)
- Acknowledges the hurt (He expresses sorrow for hurting God and others)
- Accepts the consequences (He will make restitution spiritually, verbally and then even physically)
- Alters his behavior (He will change his attitudes and actions.)
- Asks for forgiveness
Repentance similar to Nehemiah’s is seen in the Gospel of Matthew. We see guilt and shame masterfully contrasted. Peter and Judas both betray their master. Peter weeps seeing how his actions have harmed his best friend (Matt 26:75); Judas unrepentant, but remorseful wishes to return the silver pieces of betrayal. In Matt 27:3 the “remorse” of Judas does not have “the power to overcome the destructive operation of sin”(Yale Anchor Bible Dictionary).
We need an unviewed viewer who can do away with our shame.
Just as God covered over the shame of Israel by providing for rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, so God, in Christ, has provided the perfect sacrifice to cover our guilt and do away with our shame. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive. (1 John 1:5-10)
This week let us practice Godly repentance and turn our back on self-centred remorse.
