for the disgraced... don't be...

Today was one of those days. I sat in church reading along with the pastor when my eyes stopped on a verse. A verse he read over, but he moved past it. It wasn't the focal point of his message. It wasn't the verse on which he was choosing to dwell. But I couldn't move past it. My eyes read over it again and again. I was surprised I didn't notice it the first time I read it months back, as I've been journeying through the Bible. But today it stuck out like a sore thumb. Noteworthy, as all of God's words are. And so I bent down to pull a pen out of my purse, and I underlined each word as it sank into my heart.

"Don’t do this wicked thing. What about me? Where could I get rid of my disgrace?"

 

- 2 Samuel 13:12-13

 

 

Tamar. She was wanted, but not in the way she wanted to be wanted. You know what I'm talking about here. Everyone wants to be wanted. It feels nice to know you're the object of someone's affections or that you've at least caught their attention. And Tamar had been noticed. Unfortunately, it wasn't by someone who cared about her, about her heart, or about her future. It was by someone who liked what they saw. That was it. Period. There was no, "Tamar, I think you're a really nice woman and I'd like to take you on a date one night so that I can get to know you better." There was no choice for Tamar, really. There was situation, a lustful man, and Tamar begged that he consider her before she would be disgraced.

 

Well, the story tells us otherwise. And I think about Tamar. About how she felt. Begging not to be put to shame, and I can imagine that as she sat hugging her knees, tears ran down her face and shame flooded her heart. Disgraced. The very thing she asked not to be. And as I read over that small paragraph, I wanted to hug her. I wanted to hand her a Kleenex and cry with her. I wanted to hold her hand and tell her that even though she felt disgraced she was not disgraced. That was not who she was. It was what happened to her. And I thought about how I'd tell Tamar exactly what she could do to get rid of her disgrace.

 

"But Israel [Tamar, Brittnye, you] will be saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; she will never be put to shame or disgraced, to ages everlasting." (Isaiah 45:17) I would say Tamar, dear sister, Jesus will rid you of your disgrace. Call to Him. He will save you. He will redeem you. He will restore you. And on the days that disgrace creeps back up and you begin to feel ashamed, remember the truth. The truth that you are saved with an everlasting salvation. That no one can take that away from you. That shame and disgrace have no place in your life. You have been washed by the blood, and you are white as snow. Because His promises are true, Tamar. And He promises that, "Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours." (Isaiah 61:7)

 

So rejoice, Tamar. Rejoice, dear sister. Trade in your disgrace for an everlasting joy. Rejoice because you've been made new. Rejoice because you've been given a fresh start. Rejoice because the King of Kings, the Creator of the Earth, the Lord Almighty loves you. He is your helper. He delights in you. And take heart, He has overcome and you will overcome. So, "Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth... For your Maker is your husband— the Lord Almighty is his name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth." (Isaiah 54:4-5)

 

He will rid you of all disgrace. He is where you need to go.

 

 

"Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame." - Isaiah 50:7