HIS PEACE UPON US

When mankind was created, we were created in a position of honor. We were exalted over the rest of creation, for we alone were created in the image of God. We had a special position before God in which we were able to live in his presence, near to him in the Garden of Eden. Of course, this special position was lost and shame entered the world, but we must not let sin cause us to forget the honor of being made in the image of God.

Psalm 8 is very helpful in drawing our eyes to the wonder of the honor given to men. “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens” (Psalm 8:1). David begins with the declaration that God’s name is majestic and his glory is so great that it is above the heavens. There is none like God who created all things. He is above all and he is the one with the greatest honor.

It is the truth that God is high above all things that causes David to wonder, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him” (Psalm 8:3-4)? The heavens do declare the glory of God and thus they also declare the insignificance of man. Yet, God is mindful of man and cares for him. God not only notices man, but he thinks about him, remembers him, and cares for him. This is stunning.

What is even more amazing is the place that God has assigned to man in the universe. “Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet” (Psalm 8:5-6). Yes humans are nothing more than grasshoppers in comparison to God, indeed, they are less than that (see Isaiah 40). And yet God has set man over all things and made him only a little lower than the “heavenly beings”.

Read the other posts in this series:

Part 1, “Introduction”
Part 2, “What Are Honor and Shame?”
Part 3, “The Honor of Man”
Part 4, “The Shame of Sin”
Part 5, “The Honor of the King (God’s Anointed One)”
Part 6, “Honor Comes through the Shaming of Your Enemies”
Part 7, “Honor, Shame and Salvation”
Part 8, “Honor through the Shame of the Messiah”
Part 9, “We Need More than a Messiah”

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The question of how to define honor (or glory) and shame is difficult. They can mean many different things in different contexts. We can speak of the glory or honor of men (Psalm 4:2) or the glory of God (Psalm 24:10). Glory or honor is something that can be ascribed (Psalm 29:2) or something given (Psalm 84).

The main Hebrew word translated as glory or honor has at its root the meaning of “heavy”. This idea of something being heavy carries with it a sense of weightiness and thus worthiness. Most clearly this is seen in the depictions of God and his glory. For example, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). When we see the heavens we see the masterful work of a great Creator and therefore we see that this Creator is worthy of glory and honor.

When we read of the glory of man we see that this glory is not something that resides in him as it does in God. Rather it is given and it is a blessing. Psalm 8 is a good example of this, “You have made [man] a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:5). The glory and honor of man is something that God gave when he created mankind.

Another very important aspect of honor is relationship within a community. David McIlroy says, “Honour is a relational concept. It is a way of maintaining a group’s reputation and identity.”[1] There must be a recognition of honor by others for someone to truly be honored, meaning; someone cannot honor himself if no one joins him.

Shame, on the other hand, is more than just an absence of honor. It is both a feeling and a state of being. To be shamed is to be abased and dishonored, to be rejected from the community. To feel ashamed is to feel the pain and embarrassment of this disapproval and rejection. We feel the power of shame in Psalm 44. “You [God] have rejected us and disgraced us and have not gone out with our armies . . . You have made us a byword among the nations. . . All day long my disgrace is before me, and shame has covered my face at the sound of the taunter and reviler. . .” (Psalm 44:9, 14, 15-16).

In order to fully understand honor and shame, we must see that they are both experienced in relationship with others. This will be flushed out more in other posts, but we can already see it in the verses quoted. In Psalm 44 the psalmist feels the shame of being rejected by God, that is, he has been pushed away from God’s presence so that God is no longer going out with their armies (he is no longer acting for them). The king in Psalm 21 is given great honor in God’s presence, “[The king’s] glory is great through your salvation; splendor and majesty you bestow on him. For you make him most blessed forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence” (Ps 21:5-6).

Being put to shame, whether by the community or by God, is being rejected and pushed away. Being honored is being received and welcomed; it is being lifted up into relationship.

Read the other posts in this series:

Part 1, “Introduction”
Part 2, “What Are Honor and Shame?”
Part 3, “The Honor of Man”
Part 4, “The Shame of Sin”
Part 5, “The Honor of the King (God’s Anointed One)”
Part 6, “Honor Comes through the Shaming of Your Enemies”
Part 7, “Honor, Shame and Salvation”
Part 8, “Honor through the Shame of the Messiah”
Part 9, “We Need More than a Messiah”

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The issues of honor and shame are significant in all cultures, but in some cultures it is much more prominent. This is true, I believe, of most Islamic cultures. In the future I hope to post more about honor/shame and other worldview paradigms, but for now I simply want to share some thoughts about honor and shame, specifically as they are found in the Psalms (the Zabur).

A few years ago I was able to take a Hebrew course on the Psalms (they were originally written in Hebrew). Because it was independent study I tailored the content to fit my interests. The result was a study on honor and shame in the Psalms. Over the next few weeks I am hoping to post once or twice a week what I learned. I am hopeful that Western Christians will grow in seeing the significance of honor/shame in the Bible and that Muslims will better understand how the Bible deals with these issues.

In the beginning there was no shame, only honor. At the creation of man we are told, “And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed” (Genesis 2:25). Indeed, there was great honor given to mankind, for they were the only creatures created in the image of God and it was to man that God gave dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:28). When Adam ate from the forbidden tree, he not only brought guilt upon all his progeny, but he also brought shame. Shame, which was once unheard of in the Garden, is now universal.

The Psalter is a book of songs, a book of poetry. In it we see displayed the whole range of human emotion. It is no wonder then, that we also see the exultation of honor and the fear of shame. In the next few posts we will first seek to understand what shame and honor are, especially in the Psalms. Then we will try to make sense of their significance in the Psalter in order that we might see their true significance in the redemptive plan of God. Along the way I would be happy for any insights you might have as well.

Read the other posts in this series:

Part 1, “Introduction”
Part 2, “What Are Honor and Shame?”
Part 3, “The Honor of Man”
Part 4, “The Shame of Sin”
Part 5, “The Honor of the King (God’s Anointed One)”
Part 6, “Honor Comes through the Shaming of Your Enemies”
Part 7, “Honor, Shame and Salvation”
Part 8, “Honor through the Shame of the Messiah”
Part 9, “We Need More than a Messiah”

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