They that are incensed against thee shall be ashamed

There are seasons when it feels as though half the world is against you: someone speaking ill of you behind your back, a boss who hounds you, a relative who will not forgive, people who mock your faith or celebrate every stumble you make. In those hours God has a word for those who belong to him. He spoke it through the prophet Isaiah:

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.”
Isaiah 41:10-11 (KJV)

“All they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed.” It is a strong promise, and that is why it must be read rightly: to whom God gave it, what it means to “be ashamed”, what the condition is—being faithful to God—and what to do while the promise is being fulfilled. There is a prayer at the end.

A frightened people

Isaiah 41 is addressed to a small, humbled people surrounded by powerful empires. Israel felt forgotten. And God, before he says anything about enemies, reminds them who they are: “But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen… I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away” (Isaiah 41:8-9).

That is the foundation of everything else. The promise does not rest on how strong you are, nor on how right you are, but on the fact that God chose you and has not cast you away. Whoever belongs to God is not alone before those who attack them. Their cause has become God’s cause.

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee”

Notice the order of the passage. Before saying anything about enemies, God speaks about fear: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (41:10). And it ends the same way: “For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee” (41:13).

The first victory is not that your enemies fall, but that you stop trembling. Other people’s anger may surround you, but it does not have to get into your heart. God does not promise you that nobody will ever be angry with you; he promises that he will hold your hand while it happens.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.”
Psalm 27:1-3 (KJV)

What “shall be ashamed” means

In the Bible, “being ashamed” is not, first of all, feeling embarrassed in public. It is seeing frustrated the thing in which one had put one’s trust: the plan that fails, the attack that misses its target, the lie that is exposed. That is why the text adds: “they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them” (41:11-12). What looks enormous today will not be there tomorrow.

The opposite is promised too: whoever trusts in God will not be put to shame. “Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed” (Psalm 25:3). “Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed” (Romans 10:11). Hope placed in God does not disappoint, even if it is slow in coming.

“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.”
Isaiah 54:17 (KJV)

No weapon: not only arms, but tongues as well. Slander, gossip and false accusation do not have the last word over those who belong to God.

The condition: being faithful to God

This promise is not a charm to be used whenever someone disagrees with us. It is for “the servants of the Lord” (Isaiah 54:17), for those who walk with him. So before applying it, an honest question is in order: why are they angry with me? Sometimes it is because of our faith, our integrity, our refusal to go along with deceit. But sometimes it is because we have hurt, lied or acted proudly. In that case, what God asks is not that we wait for the other person’s shame, but that we ask forgiveness and make amends.

Peter puts it precisely: “Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ” (1 Peter 3:16). A good conscience is what leaves the accuser without arguments. And Proverbs adds something beautiful: “When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Proverbs 16:7).

“Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.”
Psalm 37:5-6 (KJV)

Being faithful does not mean being perfect. It means keeping on walking with God: praying, obeying what you already know, not repaying evil for evil, holding on to the truth even when it costs. He does the rest.

How God fulfilled it in the Bible

Joseph was hated by his brothers, sold, slandered and imprisoned. Years later he could say to them: “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good” (Genesis 50:20). Their envy ended up serving God’s plan.

Daniel was accused by men who could not bear his faithfulness, and they threw him into the lions’ den. The next morning he said to the king: “My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me” (Daniel 6:22).

Haman prepared a gallows for Mordecai, and the book of Esther tells us: “So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai” (Esther 7:10). David, hunted by Saul, twice had the chance to kill him and did not; he left his cause in God’s hands, and God set him on the throne in due time.

And Jesus. No one was ever hated more without cause. They mocked him, spat on him, crucified him. But “when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (1 Peter 2:23). On the third day, the empty tomb put to shame all who had been incensed against him.

The battle is God’s

When a vast army was coming against Judah, God said to King Jehoshaphat: “Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15). And to Israel at the sea: “The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace” (Exodus 14:14).

This frees us from an enormous weight: we do not have to defend ourselves against everything or win every argument. And it forbids us something: taking revenge.

“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Romans 12:19-21 (KJV)

Isaiah’s promise is not a licence to attack, but an invitation to let go. Whoever leaves vengeance in God’s hands is not being weak: they are trusting a better Judge.

Do not rejoice when they fall

Here we must take care of our hearts. The Bible warns: “Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth” (Proverbs 24:17). Jesus went further: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). And on the cross he prayed: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

The best “shame” an enemy can suffer is the shame of repentance: that they recognise their wrong, turn to God and find life. That is what we ask for when we pray for those who hurt us. Read Praying for our enemies: the example of Jesus.

When it seems they are winning

There are times when the promise seems not to be fulfilled: the unjust prosper, the liar gets away with it, the one who hurt you carries on as if nothing had happened. The psalmist lived through this and nearly slipped, “until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end” (Psalm 73:17). In God’s presence we see the end of the story.

“I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not… Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace” (Psalm 37:35-37). God has his own timing. Jesus did not promise a life without opposition: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

What to do today

Take the matter to God before anyone else. Tell him what hurts in simple words. The Psalms are full of prayers by people under attack.
Examine your heart. If you have done wrong, ask forgiveness. If not, keep your conscience clear.
Do not pay back in the same coin. No insults, no gossip, no revenge. Keep silent when you need to and speak the truth when it is right to do so.
Pray for the person who is angry with you. It is hard at first; in time, it heals.
Seek counsel and protection. Trusting God does not mean staying in danger. If you are suffering threats, harassment or violence, ask trusted people for help and go to the authorities. God protects through them too.

Frequently asked questions

Where does the Bible say “all they that are incensed against thee shall be ashamed”? In Isaiah 41:11. The King James Version says “were incensed”; other versions say “are angry” or “rage against you”.

Is it a promise for today? It was given to Israel, but it expresses God’s character towards all who belong to him: “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

May I ask God to put my enemies to shame? The Psalms honestly express the longing for justice, and you can bring your pain to God. But the way of Jesus is to leave justice in his hands and to pray for their repentance as well.

What if I am the one who has been angry with someone faithful? Then this promise is a warning. There is still time to be reconciled and to ask forgiveness.

Prayer

Father, you know those who have risen up against me, what they say and what they plot. You also know my fear and my anger. Today I hand them over to you. Thank you that you chose me and did not cast me away; that you hold my right hand and say to me: fear not, I will help you. Search me: if I have given cause, show me, and give me the humility to ask forgiveness. If I am suffering without cause, guard my heart from bitterness and my mouth from revenge. Come, Holy Spirit, comfort me where I have been wounded, give me peace in the midst of the noise and strength to stay faithful. Fight my battle, for it is not mine. Let no weapon formed against me prosper, and let no lying tongue have the last word. I also pray for those who attack me: may they find you, and may their shame end in repentance and life. Let my face not be ashamed, for I wait on you. In the name of Jesus. Amen.