“Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among the fallen; when I punish them, they shall be overthrown, says the LORD.” (Jeremiah 8:12, ESV)
In Jeremiah 8:10, God condemns the sinful people of Judah in an era of which sin was rampant. What is said of the people of Judah at the time was that they “all practiced lying” (Legacy Standard Bible). The priests were guilty of lying to the people about their sin (Jeremiah 8:1-5). The governmental leaders lied about their politics. The people lied about their relationship with God. People lied to themselves.
It was a terrible time in the history of Judah. Not long after Jeremiah spoke of all the lies being told “by everyone”, war and famine and devastation came home to roost. To this day, Jews remember the crushing defeats of that era. The prophets of the Old Testament spoke often of the crimes against God. Just before God allowed foreign invaders to crush sinful Judah, Jeremiah explained the reasons for God’s judgment. God would have protected Judah, but the sin of the people prevented it. Our scripture for today bears the proof. When the people committed sin, “Were they ashamed? …. No, they were not ashamed; they did not know how to blush….” (Jeremiah 8:12). Their lack of shame for sin led directly to ruin.
I want you to see with open eyes what is going on in the scripture for today. I want you to be aware of what precluded God’s judgment. First, the people sinned. Then, they became immune to their sin. Then, everyone started lying. They lied to cover their sins. They lied about what God wanted. The government lied. The priests lied. The people lied. What happened next sealed the fate of the people of Judah. They no longer felt shame for their sin. They became used to sin. They defended it for so long that the sin became normalized. The scripture goes on to say that the people in Judah “did not know how to blush”. They did not even realize how their sin became embedded in their lives. They had no room for guilt nor repentance. They felt no need to beg for forgiveness. Why? Judah “did not know how to blush” (Jeremiah 8:12).
Something happens when sin takes hold in your life. When sin becomes normalized, when sinful living is accepted and defended, you no longer blush. You no longer feel shame. You don’t see the need to say you are sorry. You find excuses to defend your behavior. Everything you do seems right in your eyes, even if God sees everything as wrong!
Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote the famous book called Crime and Punishment. In that piece, he mentioned a man named Raskolnikov who believed he was above moral law. What did Raskolnikov do? He justified his sin. He defended his errors. In the end, the only way Raskolnikov was able to escape the consequences of his actions was to acknowledge his sin, deal with his guilt, and find redemption. There was only hope after suffering for his sin by accepting God’s grace. As long as he was willing to lie to himself and others, the sin continued to destroy his life. As long as he remained convinced that he was not a sinner, the sin and judgment eroded everything about his life. Only by repenting and embracing God’s divine mercy could Raskolnikov find any peace or hope or joy.
That’s the crazy thing about people whose lives are mired in sin. So often, they don’t feel the effects of sin. They don’t accept what sin is doing to them. They cover up their sin. They build up defenses for their actions. They lie to others and to themselves. They become immune to the damage of sin in their lives. They refuse to submit to God. They cannot see the error of their ways. They are lost and don’t even recognize it any longer. Why? They “do not know how to blush”!
Do you realize how easy it is to lie to others and yourself about your own failings? Do you not know how you can tell lies so long that eventually you begin to believe them? Sin may so slowly take over a part of your life or your whole life that all you do from then on is find ways to justify your actions, defend yourself, and look for ways to accommodate the sin in your life. If you allow sin to go deep enough in your life, you will no longer feel the need for shame. You will ignore the truth. You will overlook scriptures that expose your hypocrisy. You will learn how “not to blush”.
Jerry was a good friend and a pastor. After more than a dozen years in the ministry, Jerry made some little mistakes. He began to spend too much time at work. He got caught up in the praise of his congregation for his excellent sermons and leadership. Slowly but surely, Jerry’s pride took over. He was given awards from denominational leaders for his work. He was praised by fellow pastors. His church grew, until everything fell apart.
The little sins in Jerry’s personality and ministry led to bigger sins. Then, an adoring fan of Jerry’s ministry came in for counseling. Reeling from a bad marriage, the woman threw herself at Jerry. She flattered Jerry’s intellect and boasted about his ministry. Jerry ate it up. Then, in a moment of weakness, Jerry had an affair with her.
Not long after the affair began, Jerry began to justify his actions. He complained to his best friend about his frigid wife and her harsh words. He explained about stress and work and the need to let go once in a while. He praised the women with whom he was having an affair, calling her a faithful and wonderful soul. Jerry felt younger as he enjoyed “more and better” sex during the affair. For months, Jerry justified his actions, devised lies to cover up his sin, and grew excited over the sexual relationship. He felt virile again. He felt an extra step to his gait. He was excited about a future with his lover.
Then came the judgment of God.
The woman Jerry had been having an affair became angry that Jerry would not divorce his wife and leave his children fast enough. In a fit of jealous rage, she reported Jerry to other pastors and to his denominational ethics committee. Jerry was censured. He was put on a type of ministerial probation. He was sent for counseling. He was threatened by leaders in the church and in the denomination with the loss of a job. At first, in another nod to his inability to blush, Jerry thought about leaving his family and ministry and starting over with his lover. Only after much counseling did Jerry realize all the ways he was destroying his relationship with God, his ministry, his future, his family, his whole reason for living. Then, Jerry thought about suicide… rather than face the depths of his despair.
In the end, Jerry repented of everything. Unbelievably, his wife accepted him back. His congregation remained wary. His ministry was forever tainted. But for the first time in decades, Jerry understood how deep his sin had burrowed its way into every aspect of his life. Only then did Jerry become aware of the lies, the self-deception, the lack of “blushing”.
If you sin, repent. If you live with a sin for too long, you will soon find ways to cover it up or live with it. Then, if you do that long enough, the sin will become embedded. You will teach yourself “how not to blush”. Thereafter, there will be little hope for you. If weren’t for God, you would be doomed. If it would not be that Jesus died for your sins, you would be lost forever.
Sin is a dangerous condition. If left alone, it will distort your mind and reality. It will tempt you to defend it. It will teach you how “not to blush”. Don’t let sin have its way with you. Always and forever, root it out. Be quick to repent. Be open to the Spirit’s correction. Be ready when the Lord disciplines you. All the while, God wants you to remember to “blush” when you sin, acknowledge your failings, and find forgiveness in His arms. God wants you to live in peace and joy. But the only way to do that is to work through your sin, first.
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Blessed Heavenly Father, it is to You I pray. You have redeemed my soul through the blood of Christ. Your Holy Spirit has spoken to my heart and soul and mind. Have I listened well enough?
I acknowledge that my sin has at times deluded me into thinking everything was right in my world. I lied to cover up my actions. I hid my shame. I defended my thinking. I did not realize that pride was covering up my guilt. Loving God, help me to deal with my sin. Let me see the error in my thinking, the pride that goes before a fall, the deceit on my lips. Show me the truth as You see it. Lead me in paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake!
I pray for this fallen world. So many have been blinded by sin, manipulated with lies, tempted to falter. Even me! We deserve Your judgment but are actually desperate for Your grace!
Amen.
It was a terrible time in the history of Judah. Not long after Jeremiah spoke of all the lies being told “by everyone”, war and famine and devastation came home to roost. To this day, Jews remember the crushing defeats of that era. The prophets of the Old Testament spoke often of the crimes against God. Just before God allowed foreign invaders to crush sinful Judah, Jeremiah explained the reasons for God’s judgment. God would have protected Judah, but the sin of the people prevented it. Our scripture for today bears the proof. When the people committed sin, “Were they ashamed? …. No, they were not ashamed; they did not know how to blush….” (Jeremiah 8:12). Their lack of shame for sin led directly to ruin.
I want you to see with open eyes what is going on in the scripture for today. I want you to be aware of what precluded God’s judgment. First, the people sinned. Then, they became immune to their sin. Then, everyone started lying. They lied to cover their sins. They lied about what God wanted. The government lied. The priests lied. The people lied. What happened next sealed the fate of the people of Judah. They no longer felt shame for their sin. They became used to sin. They defended it for so long that the sin became normalized. The scripture goes on to say that the people in Judah “did not know how to blush”. They did not even realize how their sin became embedded in their lives. They had no room for guilt nor repentance. They felt no need to beg for forgiveness. Why? Judah “did not know how to blush” (Jeremiah 8:12).
Something happens when sin takes hold in your life. When sin becomes normalized, when sinful living is accepted and defended, you no longer blush. You no longer feel shame. You don’t see the need to say you are sorry. You find excuses to defend your behavior. Everything you do seems right in your eyes, even if God sees everything as wrong!
Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote the famous book called Crime and Punishment. In that piece, he mentioned a man named Raskolnikov who believed he was above moral law. What did Raskolnikov do? He justified his sin. He defended his errors. In the end, the only way Raskolnikov was able to escape the consequences of his actions was to acknowledge his sin, deal with his guilt, and find redemption. There was only hope after suffering for his sin by accepting God’s grace. As long as he was willing to lie to himself and others, the sin continued to destroy his life. As long as he remained convinced that he was not a sinner, the sin and judgment eroded everything about his life. Only by repenting and embracing God’s divine mercy could Raskolnikov find any peace or hope or joy.
That’s the crazy thing about people whose lives are mired in sin. So often, they don’t feel the effects of sin. They don’t accept what sin is doing to them. They cover up their sin. They build up defenses for their actions. They lie to others and to themselves. They become immune to the damage of sin in their lives. They refuse to submit to God. They cannot see the error of their ways. They are lost and don’t even recognize it any longer. Why? They “do not know how to blush”!
Do you realize how easy it is to lie to others and yourself about your own failings? Do you not know how you can tell lies so long that eventually you begin to believe them? Sin may so slowly take over a part of your life or your whole life that all you do from then on is find ways to justify your actions, defend yourself, and look for ways to accommodate the sin in your life. If you allow sin to go deep enough in your life, you will no longer feel the need for shame. You will ignore the truth. You will overlook scriptures that expose your hypocrisy. You will learn how “not to blush”.
Jerry was a good friend and a pastor. After more than a dozen years in the ministry, Jerry made some little mistakes. He began to spend too much time at work. He got caught up in the praise of his congregation for his excellent sermons and leadership. Slowly but surely, Jerry’s pride took over. He was given awards from denominational leaders for his work. He was praised by fellow pastors. His church grew, until everything fell apart.
The little sins in Jerry’s personality and ministry led to bigger sins. Then, an adoring fan of Jerry’s ministry came in for counseling. Reeling from a bad marriage, the woman threw herself at Jerry. She flattered Jerry’s intellect and boasted about his ministry. Jerry ate it up. Then, in a moment of weakness, Jerry had an affair with her.
Not long after the affair began, Jerry began to justify his actions. He complained to his best friend about his frigid wife and her harsh words. He explained about stress and work and the need to let go once in a while. He praised the women with whom he was having an affair, calling her a faithful and wonderful soul. Jerry felt younger as he enjoyed “more and better” sex during the affair. For months, Jerry justified his actions, devised lies to cover up his sin, and grew excited over the sexual relationship. He felt virile again. He felt an extra step to his gait. He was excited about a future with his lover.
Then came the judgment of God.
The woman Jerry had been having an affair became angry that Jerry would not divorce his wife and leave his children fast enough. In a fit of jealous rage, she reported Jerry to other pastors and to his denominational ethics committee. Jerry was censured. He was put on a type of ministerial probation. He was sent for counseling. He was threatened by leaders in the church and in the denomination with the loss of a job. At first, in another nod to his inability to blush, Jerry thought about leaving his family and ministry and starting over with his lover. Only after much counseling did Jerry realize all the ways he was destroying his relationship with God, his ministry, his future, his family, his whole reason for living. Then, Jerry thought about suicide… rather than face the depths of his despair.
In the end, Jerry repented of everything. Unbelievably, his wife accepted him back. His congregation remained wary. His ministry was forever tainted. But for the first time in decades, Jerry understood how deep his sin had burrowed its way into every aspect of his life. Only then did Jerry become aware of the lies, the self-deception, the lack of “blushing”.
If you sin, repent. If you live with a sin for too long, you will soon find ways to cover it up or live with it. Then, if you do that long enough, the sin will become embedded. You will teach yourself “how not to blush”. Thereafter, there will be little hope for you. If weren’t for God, you would be doomed. If it would not be that Jesus died for your sins, you would be lost forever.
Sin is a dangerous condition. If left alone, it will distort your mind and reality. It will tempt you to defend it. It will teach you how “not to blush”. Don’t let sin have its way with you. Always and forever, root it out. Be quick to repent. Be open to the Spirit’s correction. Be ready when the Lord disciplines you. All the while, God wants you to remember to “blush” when you sin, acknowledge your failings, and find forgiveness in His arms. God wants you to live in peace and joy. But the only way to do that is to work through your sin, first.
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Blessed Heavenly Father, it is to You I pray. You have redeemed my soul through the blood of Christ. Your Holy Spirit has spoken to my heart and soul and mind. Have I listened well enough?
I acknowledge that my sin has at times deluded me into thinking everything was right in my world. I lied to cover up my actions. I hid my shame. I defended my thinking. I did not realize that pride was covering up my guilt. Loving God, help me to deal with my sin. Let me see the error in my thinking, the pride that goes before a fall, the deceit on my lips. Show me the truth as You see it. Lead me in paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake!
I pray for this fallen world. So many have been blinded by sin, manipulated with lies, tempted to falter. Even me! We deserve Your judgment but are actually desperate for Your grace!
Amen.