Tarry In Jericho

 

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Have you ever been so shamed that you couldn’t face anyone?

2 Samuel 10 and 1 Chronicles 19 tell a story of a kindness by King David that turned into a very painful situation for servants of King David. We have no information on how many servants, nor do we know their names. They were physically insulted.

In their culture it was a double insult to their manhood when their hair on one side of their beards were removed, and their clothing cut off to display their buttocks.  Apparently one person was not so treated and was able to go ahead of them, and get back in time to tell them to “tarry in Jericho” until their hair had grown back. 

Google gave a quick answer as to how quickly a man's beard grows - an average of half an inch a month was one site's conclusion. The author went further and stated:  "... the average man could have a beard of up to six inches in length after a year of growth with minimal trimming." Therefore, David basically gave his servants a year in Jericho.

This made me wonder what a person would do if they had a year off, but continued their employment, yet could not go home to family and friends. Think about it for a moment. You do not wish to be seen, for it is physically possible for people to see what you consider a shame filled time for yourself - but there's a whole year for you to tarry away from home.

Not too often are people in the Bible told to tarry, which basically means the same in Hebrew (abide, continue, dwell, endure, remain) as it does in Greek (abide, continue, dwell, endure, sit) but there are are 50 verses that use that word in the King James Version.

Beloved Husband grew a beard this year. From January to July 4, to celebrate our country's 250th birthday. It was not a long one. Yes, he had it snapped a couple of times, but not cut back. It our culture beards are a personal decision - but in this biblical story, they were so expected that it was better to hid away from home then to be seen. 

Today, in our culture, people appear to lack any shame. Recognizing sinfulness in our lives may bring a feeling of shame, but repentance is a necessity to allow God's joy to fill our lives. With His plan of salvation, our sin is gone. 

That is God's promise. Not mine. Do you know where the Bible tells us it is His?