NOTES for Bar 2:6
The words of the prophet about God's righteousness and about the shame of those who neglect it, seem completely clear and obvious. But is it sufficient only the human categories, when it is about relationships between God and man? God, by approaching the man and by communicating with this one, tries to be as a man so that the communication can be possible and man can understand Him. Besides God remains God, and the resemblance with man does not define Him completely. God would have been able humanely to make man be ashamed for the disobedience; He would have humanely been able to punish for it the rebel.
But what would He have obtained in such case? An external obedience, in several cases purely formal? Probably, yes: it is not difficult to intimidate the fallen man. If it was about human things, such an obedience would be enough: it is sufficient for the preservation of discipline, and more in these things is not often necessary. God needs from man something more serious and deep. He wants less that anything that man should be afraid of Him, at least, that he is afraid of Him as the criminal is afraid the policeman.
He would rather like to see people refer to Him, as their celestial Father, who, as (in the normal case the earthly father, we are afraid not by fear of the punishment, but because we honor and respect him, understanding that disobedience and the lack of respect to him will put a spot first of all on the disrespectful son. Of all the human feelings, shame is really closer to what, in God's plan, should feel the one who breaks the commandments given by Him. It is not the human shame: because human shame is the experience of man before his equal. Of course, people are different as regards their social status, intelligence, moral and other qualities which distinguish people from each other. But all these differences become almost imperceptible, when man is before God.
It is impossible to man to be humanely ashamed of God: the scale of their personalities is too immense. To feel by all his being the non-compliance of God's commandments with his own life is quite possible for him. Only having felt it, man becomes capable of a genuine repentance, which supposes, in the first place, the repentance of his own sins, the regret of the committed act and the desire to change his life in accordance with the commandments. And secondly, an appeal to God to demand for forgiveness and support, without which man is usually incapable to change his life. Such a shame can radically change the life of man, returning him to God and allowing the recent sinner to stand on the way of righteousness.