Psalms 34:5
Psalms 34:5, “They
looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.”
If you turn to Jesus for forgiveness of your sins
He will wipe away the shame of your sins. If you trust in Jesus and His
promises He will keep you from sin and thus from the shame that sin brings.
The previous verse, this verse, and the next
several verses in Psalms chapter 34 continue explaining the truth of God’s
deliverance. The three key words in this verse are: looked, lightened, and ‘not
ashamed’.
Genesis 19:24-26 says, “Then
the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD
out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all
the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the
ground. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of
salt.”
The same word ‘looked’ used in Psalms 34:5 is used in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah where it says of
Lot’s wife, “But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar
of salt. Jesus said in Luke 9:62, “And Jesus said
unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit
for the kingdom of God.” Jesus also said in Matthew 5:13-14, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith
shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and
to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is
set on a hill cannot be hid.”
The name of God is Jealous. Once you turn from
your sins to Jesus for salvation Jesus is going to be your ‘help meet’ much
more than any husband or wife will be. Because Jesus has such a great love for
His children He has a great jealously for them. God is not going to let those
whom trust in Him not be used by him. The Christian will be used as a light in
this world. It should be the Christian is an example of faith in Christ.
In considering the story of Sodom and Gomorrah the
key characteristic we think of when we think of these two cities is their great
sexual immorality. Thus we get the word Sodomy from the name of the city of
Sodom. Another characteristic that is always associated with great sexual
immorality is violence. Sexual immorality always leads to violence which is why
sexual immorality is so bad.
When it comes to your sins you can do as it says
Psalms 34:5 and look unto Jesus to escape the shame of sin or you can do as
Lot’s wife did and look back. Either way God is going to use you as an example.
You will either be an example of what not to do or you will be an example of
repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ. It is always better to look unto
Jesus. Those who look too Jesus will not be ashamed. The devil may slander you
and other men may slander you but Jesus will be your mediator and advocate with
the Holy Father. First John 2:1 say, “My little Children, these things write I unto you, that
ye sin not. And if an man sin, we have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
God created romance. God loves the (Proverbs
30:19), “way of a man with a maid.” Hebrews
13:4 says, “Marriage is honourable
in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”
Flee temptation. If you want to enjoy the pleasures of romance, get married.
Anything else will destroy your life and bring you great sorrow.
We live in a society today that is quickly going
the way of Sodom and Gomorrah. Hollywood, internet, government controlled
schools, and society itself bombard us with sexual immorality. One of the
greatest problems in our society today is the government controlled schools
that are promoting sexual immorality through the guise of, ‘safe sex.’ They are
taking the little children of our society and attempting to brainwash them with
all the sexually immoral teachings that they can. How barbaric!
Those who have fallen into the sexual immoral sins
of Sodomy and homosexuality often instead of repenting of their sins go about
publicly in parades celebrating, ‘gay pride.’ This attitude is not unlike the
attitude of those in Sodom and Gomorrah. There is great shame in sexual
immorality. This is the reason that those who are unrepentant of their sexual
immorality can often be so prideful and boastful as a
way of trying to justify their sins. The way to be freed from the shame of sin
is not through pride and lies but through facing the truth and repenting of
your sins and turning to Jesus Christ. This is why it says in Psalms 34:5, “They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces
were not ashamed.”
If any man sin, we have an advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. The righteousness of Christ is given freely
to all those whom trust in Him. If you look unto Him he will lighten your face
and wipe away the shame of your sins.
One reason that people fall into such sins as the
sins of those in Sodom and Gomorrah is because they are without light
spiritually. Man is weak and sinful without the light of Christ how easily men
are lead astray into sin and greater sin. Second Corinthians 4:4-6 says, “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of
them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ,
who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves,
but Christ Jesus the LORD; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God,
who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to
give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
Be careful what you look too. Psalms 101:3 says, “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the
work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.” Psalms 26:3, “For thy lovingkindness is
before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.”
Lot’s wife looked back to Sodom even though she
knew judgment was coming. History tends to repeat itself. And men tend to make
the same mistakes. Second Peter 2:22, “But it is
happened unto them according to the true proverb, The
dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her
walling in the mire.” Don’t make
the mistake that Lot’s wife made when she looked back. Rather look to Jesus for
mercy and forgiveness. There is always mercy and forgiveness to be found in
Christ.
Those who look unto Jesus are lightened. Those who
look away are darkened. The light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ is
given to those who seek it. The light shines out of the darkness and shines
into the hearts of those who look unto Jesus to be lightened. And the light is
the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Psalms 34:5 says, “They
looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.”
The word, ‘lightened’ literally means to sparkle,
to beam, to flow like a stream. Without Christ man is dead in sins. This is why
Ephesians 2:1 says, “And you hath he quickened, who
were dead in trespasses and sins.”
Ephesians 2:5 says, “Even when we were dead in
sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved.)”
To be quickened means to be made alive. Once you
turn from your sins to Jesus you have eternal life. Once you look unto him you
are ‘lightened.” Spiritually you are changed from death unto to life. You are
quickened.
The freedom from the shame of sin is eternal. Man
grows old and dies because of sin. Because of the righteousness of Christ those
who turn from their sins to Christ one day will receive a glorified body free
from the bondage of sin. Philippians 3:20-21, “For
our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the LORD Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile
body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the
working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”
Psalms 34:5 says, “They
looked unto him, and were lightened.” God wants man to understand his
own sinfulness because God is Holy. For God so loved the world that He gave his
only begotten Son. When you think of old age and when you see old people you
should think of the consequence of sin. The end of sin is death. It is
appointed unto man once to die but after this the judgment. The truth is all
around us. There is none in this world who does not have the opportunity to
receive the truth of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.
The opportunity to understand the shamefulness of
sin and the consequences of sin is everywhere. What a reason to repent of sins,
so that you can be both, ‘lightened’ and ‘not ashamed.’
To be ashamed for sin implies not just feeling
guilty for the wrong that you do but also repenting of it. True shame for sin
will involve repentance of sin. When a person has departed so far from God and
from the truth of Jesus Christ that they no longer feel shame for their sins
then that person is headed in a dangerous direction spiritually. If only Sodom
and Gomorrah had had shame for their sins they would have repented and accepted
the mercy of Christ Jesus. Instead they found judgment. God is holy and God must just sin.
Jesus Christ came to this earth born of a virgin.
He died for the sins of the world. He was buried. He rose again the 3rd
day. There is mercy to be found in Jesus, forgiveness of sins, and eternal
life. Psalms 34:5 says, “They looked unto him, and
were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.”
___________________________________________________
Copyright; 2012 by Charles
F. (Rick) Creech
All Rights Reserved