Psalm 31:17

Psalm 31:17

Do not be ashamed     

We talked, in verse 1, about what it means to be put to shame. How Jesus was put to shame and how He took our shame. It follows that if shame has been taken from us, we have no reason to be ashamed! Like David we can cry, “Do not let me be ashamed, Lord, for I have cried out to You.” I know that there are things in our lives that fill us with shame; events that happened many years ago, bad habits that have never really been conquered, longings that are sinful and that occupy our minds too easily – the lists are long and perplexing. We may thank God that no one knows about us, until we realise that He knows! But it is because He knows that Jesus came to die for us and to take our sins from us. God does not accept you and I on the basis of our goodness, He knows our sin and He is merciful however bad we might feel. The foundation of our relationship with Him is not our works, or else none of us would be accepted, it is our faith. So, it is time to not be ashamed for we have cried out to Him. 

Conversely, those who deny Him, ignore Him, hate Him and plot against Him, they are the ones who need to worry for, as David says, they will “be silent in the realm of the dead.” Sheol or Hades, that is their destination, and then they will have plenty of time to reflect on their shame. 

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