Your Daily Slice

 

TEVET 11

Reproach

 

 “Who does dwell in Your set-apart mountain?  … he who has not … lifted up a reproach against his friend.” (Ps 15:1-3)

 

I have been on the receiving end of ‘a reproach’, delivered by a family member, and it was ugly, contemptuous, cruel, and quite frankly, it was a form of verbal and emotional abuse.  It was much more than a rebuke; it was shameful, and shaming.  No person should have to suffer through that, and especially coming from a close family member, who is supposed to love you with the unconditional love that our Abba gives to us.  Sad, so very, very sad.

 

Reproach is defined as finding fault with a person, to find blame, to censure.^[1]  Noah Webster gives a clear understanding of how violent and ugly a reproach can be in his definition: “to charge with a fault in severe language; Censure mingled with contempt or derision; contumelious or opprobrious [an insulting display of contempt] language towards any person; abusive reflections; as foul-mouthed reproach; Object of contempt, scorn or derision”^[2] (emphasis and insert mine).  As we can see from these definitions, there is no hint of anything edifying or encouraging, nothing positive and uplifting, that will come from a severe ‘reproach’.  And there are people that do this to their friends, let alone family members?  Oh, my, how our Elohim must be grieved over this.

 

As I have mentioned before, all of Scripture is written to a society that was based on honor/shame.  We are to honor and respect one another, and we are not ever to deliberately cause someone shame, especially a fellow believer.  The shame that comes from such a severe verbal attack is traumatic, and the lasting effects of pain and humiliation are difficult to deal with.  Been there, and still dealing with it.

 

Psalm 15 tells us that those people who engage in this type of activity will not be welcome in the place our Messiah King has gone to prepare for us (see John 14:2-3).  Pretty well in black and white here, wouldn’t you say?  Let us all – including me – resolve to soften our words, and respond with the gentleness, kindness, and respect that our Creator expects from us. 

 

 “The defiled one destroys his neighbour with his mouth, But the righteous is delivered by knowledge.” (Pro 11:9)

 

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be pleasing before You, O יהוה, my rock and my redeemer.” (Ps 19:1)

 

©2020

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[1] http://www.dictionary.com/browse/reproach?s=t

[2] American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828