The year of the Lord’s Favor – Double for your Trouble - John Barksdale

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For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.  Isaiah 61:7

It is always in God’s plan to bless his creation. To have what He has created and made to be responsive to Him. We are told that man was the pinnacle of God’s creation. Gen 1:26-28.

26 And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creepers creeping on the earth. 27 And God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him. He created them male and female. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply and fill the earth, and subdue it. And have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the heavens, and all animals that move upon the earth. Gen 1:26-28

Being made in God’s image put man in a category above everything else God created. Man, having the power of thought, with the ability to imagine, create and choose was put in a very unique position as a creation of God. No other creature on the earth was as favored as man, having everything, and no other creature except man had the potential of losing everything. Being responsive or should I say being responsible to God makes all of the difference in the world.

Let’s take a look for a second at shame. What does it look like? What does it feel like?

By implication it speaks, what does it say?  And then what does God say about his loved one who has been plagued and harassed by shame?

If you had to have a literal picture of Shame, one of the pictures might look like having no clothes on, being exposed to the public; naked.

And when Moses saw that the people were naked; for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies. “Shame” in this verse is the word “shimtsah” which means “scornful whispering of a hostile spectator” Ex 32:25

So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt. Isa 20:4

The word for “shame” in this verse is “ervaw” which literally means nudity.  

What does it feel like?? The feeling of shame brings about a covering on the soul, and a spirit of confusion that makes one feel worthless.

We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covers us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.  Jer 3:25

Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle. Psa 109:29

My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,  Psa 44:15

There are two Hebrew words for confusion in these 3 verses. The first in Jer 3:25 is “bosheth”  which is “the feeling and condition” as well the cause of it (idols).

The other Hebrew word in Psa 109:29 is “kelimaw” which means disgrace.  

What does shame say? Shame says you’re not what you think you are. No one wants to see you. You’re worth nothing at all or very little. There’s no way you measure up to anything of value. And this we see implied in Gen 3:9-10.

9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. Gen 3:9-10

The Hebrew word here is “eyrom” meaning also nudity.

Did you know that when your feelings are embraced and magnified (meditated on) that is when a manifestation of those feelings comes to pass, whether positive or negative? If you are telling yourself, “you don’t count” then it would be very difficult for you to walk into your call and purpose. And it takes the Lord to come searching for you, the one hiding behind the mask that shame provides.

It seems  to me, that there is no way one can feel worth anything with his/her shortcomings perpetually exposed.  How can one sense any measure of “high value” when the soul is bared, and you feel like you’re counted as nothing? Adam felt he had to hide from his father because of how he felt about himself.  Yes it was his choice (perhaps not even understanding what he had done) to bring this cloudy separation over his life. But it was a “Loving Father” who came not to destroy him but to salvage what had been damage!

What about when shame is put on you by no fault of your own. When an authority in your life says things that makes you feel less than who you are. A child is punished for bringing home average grades on the report card. The negative feelings of that child are remembered throughout the child’s life.  When a mother calls the child stupid, the child will develop a “mask mentality” in order to hide the shame that is forced upon him/her. The force of Shame is destructive.  It speaks worthlessness into the soul.  Read 2 Samuel  chapter 13.

The daughter of King David was tricked and violated (raped) by her half brother. Listen to her words in verse 13 of this chapter:

And I, whither shall I cause my shame to go? and as for thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from thee. 2 Sam 13:13

The word for shame in this verse from the Hebrew is “cherpah”   it has to do with the insulting display of contempt in words or actions.  It’s a humiliating treatment of someone.

1 ABSALOM SON of David had a fair sister whose name was Tamar, and Amnon [her half brother] son of David loved her. 2  And Amnon was so troubled that he fell sick for his [half] sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and Amnon thought it impossible for him to do anything to her. 3 But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very crafty man. 4 He said to Amnon, Why are you, the king's son, so lean and weak-looking from day to day? Will you not tell me? And Amnon said to him, I love Tamar, my [half] brother Absalom's sister. 5  Jonadab said to him, Go to bed and pretend you are sick; and when your father David comes to see you, say to him, Let my sister Tamar come and give me food and prepare it in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand. 6  So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick; and when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, I pray you, let my sister Tamar come and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand. 7 Then David sent home and told Tamar, Go now to your brother Amnon's house and prepare food for him. 8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house, and he was in bed. And she took dough and kneaded it and made cakes in his sight and baked them. 9 She took the pan and emptied it out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, Send everyone out from me. So everyone went out from him. 10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, Bring the food here into the bedroom, so I may eat from your hand. So Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the room to Amnon her brother. 11 And when she brought them to him, he took hold of her and said, Come lie with me, my sister. 12 She replied, No, my brother! Do not force and humble me, for no such thing should be done in Israel! Do not do this foolhardy, scandalous thing! 13 And I, how could I rid myself of my shame? And you, you will be [considered] one of the stupid fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray you, speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you. 14 But he would not listen to her, and being stronger than she, he forced her and lay with her. 15 Then Amnon hated her exceedingly, so that his hatred for her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, Get up and get out! 16 But she said, No! This great evil of sending me away is worse than what you did to me. But he would not listen to her. 17 He called the servant who served him and said, Put this woman out of my presence now, and bolt the door after her! 18 Now [Tamar] was wearing a long robe with sleeves and of various colors, for in such robes were the king's virgin daughters clad of old. Then Amnon's servant brought her out and bolted the door after her. 19 And [she] put ashes on her head and tore the long, sleeved robe which she wore, and she laid her hand on her head and went away shrieking and wailing. 20 And Absalom her brother said to her, Has your brother Amnon been with you? Be quiet now, my sister. He is your brother; take not this matter to heart. So Tamar dwelt in her brother Absalom's house, a desolate woman.  2 Sam 13:1-20

Needless to say oppression, devastation, and destruction had made its way into this virgin’s life.

What does God have to say about it…??  

Though you may feel worthless at times, God says you are worth sending His Son who came to release the Anointing to you for the liberation of the soul and to restore to you the true identity of which you are called.

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.1 Peter 2:9

THE SPIRIT of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound, Isaiah 61:1

For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.  Isaiah 61:7

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and He went about doing good, and healing all those who were oppressed by the Devil, for God was with Him. Acts 10:38