Shamed Publicly

Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. And this house will become a heap of ruins. Everyone passing by it will be astonished and will hiss, and they will say, “Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?” 1 Kings 9:7-8

Whenever I hear about the downfall of another prominent Christian leader who has failed morally, I’m taken back to my own days of public shame. When most people read about the depraved actions of some pastor, Christian author, or musician, they ask the obvious questions, How did you think this would end? How could you be so stupid? I’ve been there though, on the receiving end of that public shame and so, I sympathize. My name has been in the paper for being the stupid one. I don’t blame the local newspaper – it was no one’s fault but my own – but public shame was a miserable experience, and when I watch someone else go through it, my first response is empathy.

Public shame is awful. Imagine if your worst moments or your deepest, darkest secrets were put on public display. This is what God predicted would happen to the Israelites in today’s passage. In the story, God spoke to King Solomon, promising to bless his kingdom if the people followed him. Then, however, he also threatened misery and destruction if they failed to obey. If God’s people wandered, they would self-destruct, becoming a laughingstock to everyone around them.

I don’t know if public shame works that well as a deterrent. In my drug use, I knew I wouldn’t like it if my addiction came to light, but that’s the problem with addiction – I just didn’t think things through. I do know that once I was addicted, the threat of public shame kept me from getting help. I knew I couldn’t go to treatment without a lot of people finding out. Later, once my name was in the paper, my shame caused me to isolate. Just when I needed community most, I found myself hiding from it.

Public shame is terrible. So, I empathize with anyone going through it. I also know however, that the story doesn’t have to end there. I’m sure some people think only of my addiction when they hear my name, but I’d bet that now, I’m at least as well known for my recovery as for my disaster. So, if I had a message for anyone going through public shame, it would be this – Your story doesn’t have to end here. Pick yourself up and turn to God, who specializes in new life and transformation. You can be known for something more than your greatest failure.