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What Does Kālam Mean For The Falcons & Vivek Ramaswamy?

What Does Kālam Mean For The Falcons & Vivek Ramaswamy?

Last updated on: October 23, 2026 at 12:40 pm by Martin Thomas Johnson

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What Does Kālam Mean For The Falcons & Vivek Ramaswamy? 2026-10-23T12:40:08-04:00 Martin Thomas Johnson

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This week, the big news in Georgia, where I live, continues to be sports-related. The Atlanta Falcons suffered a humiliating defeat on Sunday against the Chicago Bears. As I mentioned over the weekend, in Georgia, football is a big deal.

Image by Wikimedia Commons

That is why the Atlanta Falcons are currently valued at over $10 billion. Currently, the Falcons are ranked number two in the NFL. Hence, the shock of the team falling to the number six-ranked Chicago Bears is so humiliating:

Possession time
Competitive drive
Defensive drive

The pride of the Falcons may have been the final blow. In football, as in life, God will humiliate us to keep or make us humble (Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10). God humiliates us for different reasons.

Sometimes, he needs to do it to test our faith and make it grow (Job 23:10, 1 Peter 1:6-7). Other times, He allows hard times to humble us and get us to focus on Himself (James 4:4-6). More often than not, as a loving Father, He will humiliate us as discipline for our disobedience (Leviticus 26:18-21, Hebrews 12:5-11).

What Is Humiliate

We have all experienced situations in life where we have been humiliated and brought low, either by our own actions or by circumstances out of our control. Humiliate is defined as, “To a lower position in one’s own eyes or others’ eyes**:** to make (someone) ashamed or embarrassed.”

Image by Pixabay

Although those times are difficult and embarrassing, we often come through changed and better in some way. I will never forget the time when I was in the hospital after my accident and convinced a nurse to let me use the restroom in my hospital room instead of the bedpan. It didn’t take long for God to humiliate me by letting me fall off of the toilet with my hospital gown down at my feet.

There’s nothing like a good reality check from our Heavenly Father to put us in our place. He can and will do it out of His love for us. That is why the Bible has a lot to say about being humiliated (1 Samuel 2:7-8, 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, James 4:9-11).

Due to our sinful nature, mankind has a tendency to become prideful and ungodly (Mark 7:20-23, 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 1 John 2:16). Even the simple or good things in life can cause us to become proud and stumble (Deuteronomy 8:11-18, 1 Corinthians 8:1; 10:12).

The strongest child of God can become proud and need God to humiliate them (Luke 22:31-34, Acts 9:1-19, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10). The apostles remembered their Jewish education about the need for God to humiliate us at times.

Kālam

The prophet Moses tells us that after the fall in the garden, Adam and Eve realize they were naked and became humiliated (Genesis 3:6-11). They were so ashamed of their condition that they actually tried to hide from God (Genesis 2:25).

They wanted to hide from God because they were humiliated about their nakedness, so like a loving Father, God made them coverings to hide their nakedness (Genesis 3:21). The Hebrew word in the Old Testament for humiliate is kālam, and it can also mean, “To disgrace, confound, reproach, or shame,” depending upon the context it is used in.

Judaism teaches us that God often humiliated and humbled prideful kings, rulers, and prophets (Exodus 10:3; 14:14, Numbers 22:22-35, 1 Kings 18:20-40, Daniel 4:28-37, 2 Chronicles 26:16-21):

Pharaoh
The prophets of Baal
King Nebuchadnezzar
King Solomon

The New Testament tells us God humiliated another king to make room for the Divine King (Acts 5:5; 12:23). The Bible teaches us that God Himself humbled Himself and came to the earth as a little baby, despite what God’s people wanted (Matthew 1:20-23, John 1:14, Philippians 2:5-8).

Image by Pixabay

During His earthly ministry, God in the form of Jesus lived a low and humble life (Luke 2:7, 2 Corinthians 8:9). He didn’t seek or abuse earthly power and greatness, but lived as a servant to His own creation (Mark 10:45).

Our Lord often spent time with and had compassion on the outcasts and those who were afflicted by their status or condition (Mark 1:40-42, Luke 5:27-32, John 4:7-26). Even at His death, our Lord suffered a humiliating death on a cross to take away our shame (Matthew 27:27-44, Romans 10:11, Galatians 3:13, Philippians 2:5-8, Colossians 2:13-15, Hebrews 12:2, 1 Peter 2:24).

Vivek Ramaswamy

In other big news this week, the Republican candidate for governor in Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy, received pushback from both sides of the political aisle over a nasty, uncompassionate, and shameful campaign ad he ran against the Democratic candidate, Amy Acton.

Image by Wikimedia Commons

In the brutal and unpolitical-related ad, the estranged mother of Mrs. Acton belittles and bad-mouths her own daughter, whom she hasn’t seen in 50 years. It is publicaly documented that Mrs. Acton was raised in an abusive childhood.

Despite the heinous attacks against her character and the harmful words from her mother, Mrs. Acton has remained kind and humble in her protest against the cruel ads.

The irony is that Mr. Ramaswamy is supposed to be the conservative candidate. Why is the so-called conservative candidate acting more like the world than like God?

Prideful
Unloving
Uncompassionate
Hateful

To the surprise of no one, both President Trump and his professing Christian VP Vance both praised Mr. Ramaswamy for his campaign and attacks against the Democratic opponent.

VP Vance has even lashed out at Republicans who have criticized the heinous ad by Ramaswamy. Obviously, both the president and his VP still need to be humbled by God Himself.

When God’s people look more like the world than we do our heavenly Father, we dishonor Him (Isaiah 29:13, Matthew 5:16; 15:8, Romans 2:23-24; 12:2). Mankind’s pride and evil will cause God to kālam!

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