TO BLUSH OR NOT TO BLUSH

From My Perspective - - -

In a Shakespearean play, "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark", Hamlet muses: “To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep; No more; and by a sleep to say we end the heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep; To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause: there's the respect That makes calamity of so long life; For who would bear the whips and scorns of time…” An interpretation of Hamlet’s words is: “What Hamlet is musing on is the comparison between the pain of life, which he sees as inevitable…and the fear of the uncertainty of death and of possible damnation of suicide. Hamlet's dilemma is that although he is dissatisfied with life and lists its many torments, he is unsure what death may bring…He can't be sure what death has in store; it may be…an experience worse than life. Death is called the undiscovered country from which no traveler returns…”

More importantly, a question of our day might well be: “To blush or not to blush, that is the question.” What is it “to blush”? The word means: “a sudden reddening of the face from embarrassment, shame, modest, or guilt.” A shift has occurred within our national psyche. We no longer have a reverence for The Holy God and His Word. We go to great lengths to avoid offending those of Islamic persuasion but have no such sensitivity toward Historic Christianity and the once referenced moral/core values which were deemed to be foundational to our national way of life. The focus and purpose for the nation is no longer marked by clarity and/or precision. Most of those who are in positions to govern conveniently avoid identity with God, The Bible, Evangelical Christianity, etc. The National Day of Prayer has been greatly diminished in the last few years. In many ways, our nation has embraced a lifestyle that is not espoused or condoned in the Bible – and are convinced that tolerance should be foremost rather than standards of religion; adapting to the times is preferred rather than norms that once served this nation well. It might well be asked: “Who are we?” – and – “What are we becoming?”

In Jeremiah 6:13-17, the siege of Jerusalem, the Lord speaks and describes the behavior and choices of the people: "From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. Peace, peace, they say, when there is no peace. Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when I punish them, says the Lord. This is what the Lord says: Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, We will not walk in it. I appointed watchmen over you and said, Listen to the sound of the trumpet! But you said, We will not listen.” It is a description of a stubborn people who refuse and deny God in their lives and culture. Even though disaster and tragedy await, they head toward it with no apprehension, fear or pause.

Similar thoughts are shared in Jeremiah 8:9-12, when the Lord says: “The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have? …Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when they are punished, says the Lord.” The Message Paraphrase of verse 12 is: “Do you suppose they are embarrassed over this outrage? Not really. They have no shame. They don't even know how to blush. There's no hope for them. They've hit bottom and there's no getting up. As far as I'm concerned, they're finished. God has spoken.”

We would do well to have the sense of our need as expressed in Ezra 9:6 (ESV), “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.” To blush or not to blush – is our question. Consider these things with me.