Isaiah 25:8 English Standard Version (ESV) He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.

The title Clean Slate was used recently and it occurs to me that it did not say what some expected.

The issue of beginning again with a clean slate is a judicial issue. A judge can expunge our criminal records if he can find justification for it. This may be why some teach that justification before God is just as if it never happened.

The reproach of people is another matter. People do not forgive and forget and tend to cling to their attitude of reproach. It is far easier to gain God’s forgiveness than others.

One of the biblical definitions of reproach is resting upon the condition of shame. It is an emotional condition based on our own guilt. Another definition is a taunt or scorn by our tormentors.

Some of us find it very difficult to find that clean slate where our heavenly judge has erased our sins from the record. We rest upon the condition of shame. It becomes even more difficult if we cannot find forgiveness from those who were wounded by our transgressions.

Many find it difficult to accept God’s forgiveness because they have not, cannot, or refuse to forgive themselves. There is nothing we can do to change the past. There is little we can do to change the minds of our tormentors. How can we comfort others who are resting on a bed of shame if we have not found a way to get out of bed ourselves?

Who is telling us that we cannot get up off our bed of shame?