39 Turn away my reproach which I dread,
For Your judgments are good.
“Reproach” is not a real common word these days. But it just means to be shamed, disgraced, or scorned. Definitely not a good thing.
And so we see that the Bible is brutally honest. I love that.
It doesn’t paint a picture of life as some trouble-free utopia. Nor does it portray its characters as holier-than-thou saints that float around on clouds playing harps all day. Here, the psalmist is facing reproach for some reason or other.
Let’s take a quick glance at the resume of some of the heroes of the Bible who had good reason to be reproached:
Abraham: Gave his wife to another man. Twice!
Jacob: Deceived his father, swindled his brother and his uncle
Moses: Murderer
David: Adulterer, Murderer
Paul: Consented to murder; tried to destroy the church
Peter: Denied that he knew Jesus 3 times
The Bible records all of these failings and more! Yet all of these men were used mightily by God.
Abraham became the father of many nations, and is today arguably the most well known man in the history of the world (among Christians, Jews, and Muslims).
Jacob - well, God calls himself “the God of Jacob.” Wow.
Moses parted the Red Sea and wrote the first 5 books of the Bible.
David was a giant killer, king, and wrote much of the Psalms.
Paul wrote most of the New Testament.
Peter gave a sermon and 3000 people came to Christ in one day!
And they did many other wondrous works and miracles!
The message is this:
If you think that you have messed up so bad,
If you think that your reproach or disgrace has distanced you from God,
If you think you’re disqualified from entering the life that Jesus wants you to have,
You are deceived, and you simply have not encountered the Grace of God.
God’s Grace will take a hopeless situation, a broken life, a devastated heart, and so thoroughly redeem it that it becomes a beacon of hope and a fountain of blessing.
There is hope for you. There is hope for your family and your loved ones.
Look to the Lord, and look to His word. He will turn away your reproach, for His judgments are good.
...looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Heb 12:2
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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