Category Archives: Humiliation

Bible, Conceit, Embarrassment, God's Will, Humiliation, Laughter, Scripture

WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT?

HABAKKUK 1:10

“They make fun of kings, and dignitaries are an object of laughter to them. They laugh at every fortress, then heap up dirt and capture it.”

There is not anything funny about getting laughed at. Has that ever happened to you? It makes you feel small and invaluable. The ones who are laughing at you think they are better than you. Bullies love to laugh at others. Don’t be a bully. Don’t laugh at others. Laugh with them – not at them.

God is describing the Chaldeans here in verse 10 as bullies. They laugh at the kings they have defeated. They make sport of them. They look at their fortresses and act like the Big Bad Wolf, declaring they will huff and puff and blow their house down. Unfortunately for Israel, they could back up their boasting. Israel would be judged by these braggarts.

APPLICATION

Who are you laughing at? Who are you making fun of? Why? There is never a good reason to laugh and make fun of someone in order to humiliate them or shame them. I love a good laugh as much as the rest, but it must be a laugh that is welcomed and reciprocated.

The words used here for “make fun,” “laughter” and “laugh” have nothing to do with being funny. They all refer to scoffing and deriding. They are used in a negative manner each time. That is not the kind of laughter the Lord intends. He tells us in Proverbs 17:22, “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” God wants us to laugh, just not at others.

I picture God as having a great sense of humor. I am not trying to be sacrilegious. I mean just look at some of the animals He created. They are hilarious. The duck-billed platypus? Come one! And the giraffe is crazy. It looks like God just stretched the neck out. So, laugh appropriately. Enjoy a good laugh. Only don’t do it at the expense of someone else.

Lord, Your Word says a merry heart has a continual feast (Proverbs 15:15). I want that.  

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Accountability, Bible, Embarrassment, Humiliation, Scripture

SKIRT OVER YOUR FACE

NAHUM 3:5

“‘Behold, I am against you,’ declares the LORD of armies; ‘And I will lift up your skirts over your face, and show the nations your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame.’”

I had a boss once who used to say, “Don’t pull your gown over your head.” That meant don’t go and humiliate yourself. I wonder if he got that saying from this verse. We never want to be humiliated, do we? Whether someone else does it to you or you do it to yourself, it is never comfortable.

God is speaking in verse 5 to Nineveh through Nahum. He says He is about to embarrass them. He will reveal them to the nations. He will “show the nations your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame.” All exposed. All revealed. Nothing hidden.

APPLICATION

How do we keep from being embarrassed over our actions? We walk in godliness. Peter gave us some great guidelines in the last chapter of his second letter. 2 Peter 4:14 reads, “Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found spotless and blameless by Him.” Wise words.

Peter said something similar in the first chapter of this same letter. 2 Peter 1:3 says “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (NIV). If we live how Peter instructs us, we will have fewer embarrassing moments.

I do not want to have to explain myself to Jesus. I want to live my life pleasing to Him at all times. Do I do that? Of course, not. No one does. But I am striving every day to relinquish my will and embrace His. Will you? Will you give up your pride and live for Him?

Lord, I want to hear You say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” I want to honor You in all my actions.

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