Fear Your Fear of Man

Article by Marshall Segal

If we knew how dangerous the fear of man really is, we might fear men less and fear our fears more. Other sins have beset me in my walk with Christ over the years, but few have so consistently eluded my radar like this one.

The fear of man often goes undiagnosed and unaddressed because of its subtlety. This fear knows how to wrap itself in the robes of love, pretending to count others more significant than itself, while secretly counting on others to fan the flame of its own conceit. The fear of man proudly proof-texts its weakness for people-pleasing: “I try to please everyone in everything I do” (1 Corinthians 10:33). But it quietly refuses to finish the sentence: “. . . not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved” (1 Corinthians 10:33). We often fail to confront, or even recognize, the fear of man, because it so often looks like love, and too many of us love to look loving.

But blow away the rose-colored smoke and break through all our favorite mirrors, and we find the fear of man is not the nice friend we thought it was. For all its subtlety, the fear of man is desperate, vicious, even cruel. Pretending to be love, it blinds us to love, even to Love himself.

Blinding Glory

Perhaps no text exposes the danger of the fear of man like Jesus’s warning to the religious rulers of his day:

I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. . . . How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? (John 5:41–42, 44)

He was warning a crowd of Jews who were furious because he had healed a man, even though the man had been disabled for nearly forty years. The crowd was so furious, in fact, that they wanted to kill him (John 5:18). While he healed the sick, the possessed, and the blind in droves, his own people could not see just how blind they really were.

Why did some fail to recognize and treasure the Son of God? Why did they consistently miss what it means to love our neighbors? What motivated them to eventually murder the Author of life? Jesus says, at the root, they received glory from one another and despised the glory that comes from God. Because they feared man, they could not believe Jesus. They listened to Love, and heard hatred. They looked at Safety, and saw danger. They stood before Joy, and felt misery. They were offered Life, and preferred death.

“We must find our refuge, not in the praise and approval of one another, but in the arms and heart of heaven.”

The scariest part about these man-fearers, though, is just how immersed they were in Scripture. Jesus laments, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life” (John 5:39–40). They searched the Old Testament Scriptures, likely far more than many of us do, and yet the fire of revelation did not burn off the fear of man. They were searching for glory, but not the glory of God. They prove that we can be at home in the Bible and yet still in bed with sin. And few mistresses corrupt and manipulate like the fear of man.

Subtle and Deadly

The fear of man is a repeated theme and warning throughout Scripture, but the phrase itself is used only once, in Proverbs 29:25: “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.” While this is not the only verse about the fear of man, these few words are packed with help for discerning and fighting it.

The fear of man lays a snare, which teaches us two important lessons: the sin relies on disguise, and it intends to harm. When King Saul wanted to destroy David, he gave him his daughter Michal as a wife if David would kill a hundred Philistines. Saul said to himself, “Let me give her to him, that she may be a snare for him and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him” (1 Samuel 18:21). Saul meant to kill David (1 Samuel 18:25). So, the fearful, self-absorbed king laid a snare (his own daughter!) under a thin veil of love and kindness, not knowing he had already fallen headlong into the greater, more deadly snare: the fear of man.

What happens next illustrates the awful harm the fear of man can do to a man. David kills not one hundred, but two hundred Philistines, and claims his bride. “When Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him, Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David’s enemy continually” (1 Samuel 18:28–29). He was even more afraid. As with any other sin, if we feed the fear of man, it will not leave our table. It will eat away at everything — relationships, budgets, schedules, ministries, convictions, and sleep — until we perish or put it to death.

And how do we perish? How does the fear of man ruin a man? Notice, “Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David” (1 Samuel 18:28), and yet he still could not surrender or submit. Instead, he opposed and threatened David continually (1 Samuel 18:29). Because Saul feared man more than God, he set himself against God, and nothing could be more deranged or dangerous than making war with God.

Big Enough to Fear

That war against God brings us back to our proverb: “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.” We know that the fear of man is subtle and seeks to harm, but Proverbs 29:25 tells us more than that. It also tells us how to be healed. The only remedy for this tyranny is a deep, abiding, and growing trust in God. We must find our refuge, not in the praise and approval of one another, but in the arms and heart of heaven. And we must fear him more than we fear them.

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
     that one may turn away from the snares of death. (Proverbs 14:27)

The fears are many and varied that lead to death, but one fear is a deep and overflowing fountain of security, stability, and joy. The fear of the Lord is the only fear that breeds peace, and not just any peace, but a peace that surpasses all of our meager ideas of peace (Philippians 4:7).

“Woe to us if we tremble before criticism and yawn before the cross.”

If God is small, peripheral, and relatively harmless, the shadows in the eyes of others will haunt us. Their expectations will corner us. Their disappointment will crush us. Their anger will undo us. To be free from the enslaving fear of others, God has to be big — bigger than their expectations, bigger than their disappointments, bigger than their anger, big enough to fear.

Let Him Be Your Dread

How could fear ever make us feel safe? How does the fear of the Lord conquer our fear of man? The prophet Isaiah begins to explain how:

Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he will become a sanctuary. (Isaiah 8:12–14)

Only when God becomes our greatest fear can he become our safest place. Let him be your fear, let him be your dread, honor him alone as holy, and he will become a sanctuary — a refuge from danger, a haven from wrath, a shelter in any storm.

The apostle Peter later picks up these verses when he writes to persecuted Christians, “Even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy” (1 Peter 3:14–15). To cure the fear of man, we must see the Christ who died for us as fearfully and wonderfully holy. To stop fearing wrongly, we must start fearing rightly. Again, Peter says,

Conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (1 Peter 1:17–19)

Have no fear of men, but instead, live among men with a holy, trusting, even joyful fear of God. Don’t fall into the same snare that the Jews of Jesus’s day fell into, mistaking the Lamb’s wounds for weakness. Nothing we might fear is as powerful as this blood. No power of hell, nor praise of man, can compare with the staggering, even frightening, splendor of his majesty. Jesus is the dreadful King and Judge who has become a sanctuary — for all who believe and fear. Woe to us if we tremble before criticism and yawn before the cross.

Fear More, Fear Less

As subtle as the fight against the fear of man may feel, so much hangs in the balance — our ability to see and savor Jesus, our boldness as his witnesses to a hostile world, our willingness to lovingly correct and exhort one another, our freedom to obey the will of heaven, whatever it might cost us on earth. And the fight will be won not mainly by analyzing the thoughts, intentions, and words of others, but by relentlessly exposing ourselves to the fearful wonder of our Father.

“Only when God becomes our greatest fear can he become our safest place.”

“All experiences of the fear of man,” Ed Welch writes, “share at least one common feature: people are big. They have grown to idolatrous proportions in our lives. They control us. Since there is no room in our hearts to worship both God and people, whenever people are big, God is not. Therefore, the first task in escaping the snare of the fear of man is to know that God is awesome and glorious, not other people” (When People Are Big and God Is Small, 95).

The first task is not to diminish other people — their desires, opinions, and expectations. Rather, the first task is to elevate God — his power and wisdom, his love and wrath. Let the bigness of God expose and quiet your fear of man, and then free you to love, really love, the people you are prone to fear.

Marshall Segal (@marshallsegal) is a writer and managing editor at desiringGod.org. He’s the author of Not Yet Married: The Pursuit of Joy in Singleness & Dating. He graduated from Bethlehem College & Seminary. He and his wife, Faye, have a son and live in Minneapolis.

Posted at: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/fear-your-fear-of-man

Overcome Your Fear of Others By Fearing God

Zach Schlegel 

They were trapped. On one side a massive Egyptian army coming after them, on the other side the Red Sea. Hundreds of thousands of people, young and old, had just left Egypt, but now it seemed their doom was sure.

“When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly…They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness”” (Exod. 14:10–12).

It’s not hard to relate to the Israelites here. As I write this, millions of people around the world are locked down in quarantine from the coronavirus. Many feel trapped: the threat of sickness, economic hardship, loneliness and uncertainty about tomorrow – it’s a recipe for fear. We all have Red Sea moments and would prefer to avoid them if we could. When we read through the account of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, the exit came with a dramatic display of 10 plagues: blood, frogs, flies, gnats, livestock die, and boils. Now God could’ve wiped out the Egyptians with one word. Why the plagues? What’s God up to? Before the seventh plague of hail, God instructs Moses to tell Pharaoh, “For this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth” (Exod. 9:16).

When Moses came to Pharaoh with the news it was time for him to let God’s people go, Egypt’s pompous ruler asked, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD” (Exod. 5:2). In his hubris, Pharaoh thought little of God, but the Exodus narrative shows how foolish he was to ignore the LORD. After Moses warned a seventh plague of hail was coming, he added a merciful warning to shelter man and beast lest they be killed. Their response? “Whoever feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses” (Exod. 9:20). Those who feared God, obeyed what He commanded.

In Scripture, fear is more than feeling terrified. The fear of man certainly includes that, but it also means revering people, needing them, or valuing their opinion so much that our decisions end up being controlled by them. We obey what we fear. We fear failure, over commit, get defensive, avoid risks, compare, envy, or twist the truth often because of what others will think of us.

Pharaoh didn’t fear God, he feared people. Perhaps he thought, “The Israelites have been our servants for over 400 years; I’m not about to be the one responsible for losing them. The cost of losing slave labor would be disastrous to our economy! I’m not about to let this Israelite deity threaten me, I’m Pharaoh!” Desperate to have others see Him as important, powerful and in control, Pharaoh hardened his heart and paid the price.

The sad irony is that when the people of God were pinned up against the Red Sea, they had the same problem Pharaoh did: the fear of man. I’m not saying they weren’t in a tough spot – I’d probably be shaking in my boots given the situation – but remember what they’d witnessed! The showdown between God and Pharaoh, his magicians, and his gods was a joke! God isn’t threatened when the nations rage, He laughs (Ps 2:4). With a mighty hand (Exod. 3:19), God delivered His people from a powerful nation that had enslaved them. When they left, it was Egypt shaking in fear, not Israel! If they could’ve remembered who was on their side, they could’ve laughed at the enemy instead of panic.

The ten plagues in Exodus 7-12 show us the glory of God. When God passed through the land of Egypt during the last plague God said, “on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD” (Exod. 12:12). All the idols of this world are nothing (1 Cor 8:4): “They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them” (Ps. 115:5-8). God is different than man-made idols. He is the living God who sees our plight, hears our cries, moves mountains, and saves (Exod. 2:24-25).

Our problem, like the Israelites, is we tend to focus on that which worries us such that we lose sight of God, fall into fear, and let it control us, not God. Our Red Sea moments remind us the iron bars of fear exist because of a myopic view of God (see 2 Pet 1:9). I imagine if we could look back on today when Christ comes back on the final day, we’ll ask, “Why was I afraid?”

Pinned up against the Red Sea, all Israel had to do was remember God’s promise to get them to the land flowing with milk and honey (Exod. 3:8) and the greatness of God revealed in their Exodus. Because God doesn’t change, the God who parted the Red Sea, is our God. We may not have Pharaoh breathing down our neck, but our Red Sea moments aren’t reasons to fear, they’re opportunities to see what God can do. We may not know what or when He will act, but we need to hear what Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD” (Exod. 14:13a). The clearer we see God, the less we will fear man (Prov. 14:26).

Knowing how prone the people of God are to forget, God instituted the Passover meal as a means to remember and bolster faith (Exod. 12). When future generations would celebrate this feast and ask ‘What does this mean?’ They were to answer, “By a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery” (Exod. 13:14).

In the same way, when we struggle with fear God has given us a meal to remember and bolster our faith (1 Cor 11:23-25). When we remember Christ, our Passover lamb (1 Cor. 5:7) we’re reminded of a second exodus. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, our mighty God delivered us from sin, Satan and death. With our King firmly fixed in our heart and mind, we’re able to say, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” (Ps. 56:3–4)

Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared at the blog for Credo Magazine and is used with permission.

Posted at: https://ftc.co/resource-library/blog-entries/overcome-your-fear-of-others-by-fearing-god/

When You Fear Not Being in Control

BY KRISTEN WETHERELL

Households across the world are aglow from screens delivering coronavirus updates. They’re also replete with fear. 

Leslie worries about her aging husband, whose health has been in slow decline since he turned 65. Tom knows he has no control over his pregnant wife’s health (or their baby’s) and goes to sleep nervous every night. Jessica is scared about her kids’ safety when they have to run to the grocery store, and Ron fears contracting the disease when he goes to work at the nursing home. Brittany can’t seem to control her anxiety over the virus, but it comes on full force at random moments, and she fears the next unexpected attack.

Then there are fears surrounding policies and quarantines, as people anxiously await the choices their leaders will make, choices that are out of their hands. And there’s the fear of tragedy, the worst-case scenario coming to pass, as sudden harm visits our family members—even us.

As finite creatures living in a world affected by sin, we fear anything out of our control.

Why We Fear Being Out of Control

To get to the root of this universal fear, we must start at the beginning. In the garden, sin corrupted our fear of the Lord, turning awe of God into terror before him; worship of God into idolatry of created things; and reverence into rebellion against him. Now, our human predicament is dire: We’ve rebelled against the only One who’s in control, crowned ourselves as little sovereigns, and discovered we’re terribly inadequate for the task. 

As finite creatures living in a world affected by sin, we fear anything out of our control.

We fear what we can’t control because we’ve tried to control it, but can’t because we aren’t God.

In the Old Testament, we read of the Israelites repeatedly falling prey to this uneasy attempt at self-sovereignty as they take refuge from their enemies in other nations and in idols. In Isaiah 46, Israel has been exiled to Babylon, and God rebukes the Israelites for their worship of false deities: 

To whom will you liken me and make me equal,

and compare me, that we may be alike?

Those who lavish gold from the purse,

and weigh out silver in the scales,

hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god;

then they fall down and worship! . . . 

If one cries to it, it does not answer

or save him from his trouble. (Isa. 46:5–7, italics added)

God describes Babylon’s idols as dead and worthless substitutes for him, mere inanimate objects that are unable to save the Israelites. We may think, Who in their right mind would think a statue could help them? But we’re more like Babylon than we’d like to admit.

We may not craft gold and silver into gods, but we do try to control our money for stability and power. We tremble in fear when the stock market crashes.

We may not fall down and worship statues, but we do worship ourselves and other people, as preserving our health—even our very lives—becomes an ultimate pursuit.

We reason that we would never cry out to an immovable object to save us from our troubles––but then we look to medicine, doctors, news media, political leaders, right habits, and anything else we think will give us some semblance of reassurance, of peace––of salvation from our circumstances.

Trying to take control of what can’t be ultimately controlled, we set ourselves up for fearfulness in times of inevitable trouble.

But in making idols of these things, and trying to take control of what can’t be ultimately controlled, we set ourselves up for fearfulness in times of inevitable trouble.

What Sovereignty Means for Fear

We see God’s remedy for fearful and rebellious self-sovereigns in what he says next:

I am God, and there is no other;

I am God, and there is none like me,

declaring the end from the beginning

and from ancient times things not yet done,

saying, “My counsel shall stand,

and I will accomplish all my purpose.” (Isa. 46:9–10, italics added)

Throughout the book of Isaiah, God’s boundless wisdom and endless power are displayed, as he unveils to his people his sovereign plan to save them, both historically from Babylonian captivity and also eternally from the captivity of sin. He announces the coming of a Savior, One who would give up his heavenly crown to wear a crown of thorns, fulfilling God’s sovereign plan of salvation for his people (Isa. 53:10; Acts 2:23).

Since Jesus is Lord, we don’t have to be. Because Christ is on his throne, ruling all things with perfect wisdom and power, we are freed from the crushing pressure and fearfulness of trying to rule ourselves, other people, and the circumstances that expose how out of control we are: our health and safety, the welfare of family and friends, the salvation of loved ones, the future, money and possessions, political powers, and nature. Even the mysteries of evil and suffering submit to the lordship of Christ and are no mystery to him.  

When we feel out of control, we choose to rest in his perfect control.

Ultimately our sovereign God calls us to trust him. Trusting him means we walk by faith, not by sight. It means we seek him for wisdom to steward the resources and responsibilities he has given us. It means we believe his sovereign wisdom is right and best, even when we can’t make sense of it. It means that when we feel out of control, we choose to rest in his perfect control: 

Clap your hands, all peoples!

Shout to God with loud songs of joy!

For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared,

a great king over all the earth. (Ps. 47:1–2, italics added)

Editors’ note: 

This article is adapted from Fight Your Fears: Trusting God’s Character and Promises When You Are Afraid by Kristen Wetherell (Bethany House, 2020).

Kristen Wetherell is a wife, mother, and writer. She is the author of Fight Your Fears and co-author of the award-winning book Hope When It Hurts. She writes regularly for digital publications and enjoys teaching the Bible to women at conferences and retreats. Read Kristen’s writing on her website and connect with her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Posted at: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/fear-not-being-control/

CHRISTIANS LIVE TO PLEASE GOD ALONE

by Katie Faris 

Do you ever read a verse in the Bible and associate it with a particular time in your life? I read certain verses, and I immediately picture myself among a circle of teenagers memorizing Scripture for Sunday school under the encouragement of godly teachers. Or I remember a crisis with my children and how God used a Bible passage to illuminate truth and provide comfort in a specific and personal way. God used a friend and Galatians 1:10 to unpack a spiritual principle for me in my teen years that has been so helpful.

We were walking uphill as my friend recited, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Gal 1:10). My friend struggled with an eating disorder, and one of her high school sports coaches recognized its impacts on her health. He happened to be a Christian, and in a compassionate way, he sought not only to care for her physical health, but he also brought this verse to speak to her heart. It was in this season of struggle that God placed her on a path of both physical and spiritual healing.

My friend’s coach helped diagnose the root issue of her battle as a heart tendency that is common to many of us. My friend cared about the “approval of man.” She cared so much about what others thought about her—or she perceived them as thinking—, that it impacted how she treated her own body.

God used this friend’s story to help me see what the ESV Study Bible note says about this verse: “Paul poses two absolutely incompatible goals: pleasing man, or pleasing God. There is no possibility of combining the two.”[1] The very act of conversion opposes “pleasing man.” When we become servants of Christ, it’s impossible to please man any longer. If our goal is to please man, we would never become Christians in the first place.

Jesus said something similar, “You cannot serve God and money.”[2] It’s impossible to serve two masters. “Either [you] will hate the one and love the other, or [you] will be devoted to the one and despise the other” (Matt. 6:24). It’s never “serve God plus something else.”

Perhaps this is the first time you’ve considered this, and you’re not sure whether or not man-pleasing is a struggle for you. Then ask yourself the same question that Paul asks, “Or am I trying to please man?” Maybe some of these questions will help you:

• Do you get upset because you feel like your spouse doesn’t appreciate you?

• Are you concerned what other people will think if your child misbehaves in public?

• Are you worried about your performance and what it reflects about you?

• How do you handle negative criticism?

Our answers to these questions may reveal whether or not we’re man-pleasers. Paul’s words about work in Colossians are especially helpful in diagnosing this issue. He tells slaves—think labor force, in our day—not to work by “…way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Col 3:22b-24).

Christians live to serve Jesus. With sincere hearts, they fear the Lord. Regardless of their occupation, if they work to him, he will reward them.

The phrase “fear the Lord” reminds me of something my husband Scott used to tell our sons when they were younger. Before bed, he would say, “Fear God, not man.” We do well to speak these words to our own hearts: “Fear God, not man.”

Proverbs tell us that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Prov 9:10). If we begin with God’s holiness, majesty, and power, then other things—and people—in our lives take their proper place. If we truly fear the Lord, the thoughts and opinions of others won’t matter nearly as much as what God thinks of us and our actions. If we live to please God, we no longer primarily live to please other people.

So my question is, why do we still try to please both God and man? What’s functioning inside of us when this happens? Hopefully drawing attention to it will help us recognize this temptation when it comes and better equip us to resist it.

The story of Israel throughout the Old Testament tells of a people who were called, chosen, and redeemed by God. Nevertheless, they repeatedly wandered from him and exchanged worship of the true God for the worship of idols.

Our hearts are also prone to wander and quick to worship idols, including the idol of approval. When we care more about pleasing others than we do about pleasing God, we’re actually worshiping a false god; in the context of the book of Galatians, a false gospel is at work.

The enemy of our souls knows our tendency to worship what is false, and more than once, Paul tells us to be aware of our enemy’s tactics:

• “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith…” (1 Pet 5:8-9a).

• Again, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Eph 6:11).

When we recognize and acknowledge that living for the approval of others is actually a form of sin, we’re better equipped to resist it with biblical truth. The truth about living to please others is that we’ll always fall short. We’ll eventually fail. We’ll never be good enough. Living this way is unsatisfying and leaves us always questioning ourselves and concerned about what others think. It’s elusive, a chasing after the wind.

On the other hand, if we as believers embrace the fact that we’ll never fundamentally be able to please others, it frees us to live completely for Jesus. As Paul says later in Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20).

There’s good news when we’re tempted to live for man’s approval. Here, too, the gospel meets our everyday lives. Yes, all sin is serious, but God’s grace is always greater. In a different letter, Paul reminds us that:

“No temptation has seized [us] that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry” (1 Cor. 10:13-14).

God is faithful to provide a way of escape. We flee the idol of man-pleasing by turning our eyes and gazing on Christ. Our beautiful Savior gave his life on the cross to rescue and redeem us from all of our sins. He is patient with us, and his kindness leads us to repentance.[3] When we confess our people-pleasing tendencies to him, he is faithful to forgive and cleanse us.[4]

We need to stop pretending that we can live for the approval of both God and man. If we think we can please both, we’re deceived. It’s Christ and Christ alone.

[1] ESV Study Bible, p. 2246

[2] Matt. 6:24

[3] Rom 2:4

[4] 1 Jn 1:9

Knowing God Through His Name

Meredith Hodge

God, Father, Lord—These names typify our communication with and about him. We know His name is to be honored, not said in vain (Exodus 20:7). It is to be “hallowed,” revered in our prayers (Matthew 6:9). Yet, God’s name signifies so much more.

God invites us through Scripture to see how His name declares who He is. And as we faithfully ponder His majestic, holy, and awesome name (Psalm 8:1; 111:9), we see how He not only reveals His character, but also His promises to us. Here are four names that embody the Lord’s attributes and assurances:

1.) He is Jehovah-Raah: The LORD My Shepherd

God’s Word illustrates the desperate need of sheep for a shepherd. Because sheep are prone to stray and become lost, they will fall into destruction without a tending shepherd. It’s no surprise that the Bible compares humanity to sheep:

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way. (Isaiah 53:6)

Thankfully, we have Jehovah-Raah, “who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:3). The Lord our Shepherd cares for, guides, protects, and leads His wandering sheep.

Isaiah says of Him:

He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. (40:11)

Jesus is our Good Shepherd—he knows His sheep, and we know Him (John 10:1-16). He has compassion on us in our propensity to wander and in our helplessness (Matthew 9:36). Our Shepherd willingly laid down His life for His sheep (John 10:11), carrying our iniquities to reconcile us to a holy God (Isaiah 53:6).

He now awaits us in the middle of heaven’s throne, where He will guide us to streams of living water (Revelation 7:17) and give us the unfading crown of glory (1 Peter 5:8).

Therefore, like King David, we echo in praise: “The LORD is my Shepherd. I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1).

2.) He is Jehovah-Jireh: The LORD Will Provide

Abraham saw God’s gracious provision in sparing Isaac’s life with a sacrificial ram, naming the location, “The Lord Will Provide” (Genesis 22:14). Notice, Jehovah-Jireh does not mean, “The Lord did provide,” but rather, “The Lord will provide.” Abraham was not looking solely to past and present provisions; he was anticipating a future action from his Almighty Provider—and we can too.

Jehovah-Jireh provides earthly life and breath (Genesis 2:7) and eternal life (Romans 6:23). He gives abounding grace (2 Corinthians 9:8); the ability to escape temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13); heavenly rewards (Matthew 6:1-4); good and perfect gifts (James 1:17); and every need according to the riches of His glory in Christ (Philippians 4:19).

God’s ultimate provision points to Calvary, where He provided Jesus to pay the penalty of mankind’s sin, giving salvation by death on a cross (John 3:16; Romans 8:32). Yet, Jehovah-Jireh did not stop there: As Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father, so did He provide His Holy Spirit to dwell in the hearts of His people (John 16:7). 

3.) He is Jehovah-Shalom: The LORD Is Peace

Jehovah-Shalom occurs once in Scripture in Judges 6, where Gideon realized that he saw an angel of the Lord. Gideon was fearful, but God responded to him assuredly: “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die” (Judges 6:23). Responding in praise, Gideon built an altar to the Lord, calling it “The Lord Is Peace” (6:24).

With “peace,” the word “shalom” also means “to be complete or sound” and “absence from strife.” Therefore, Shalom, according to the Bible is: found in Him (John 16:33); a blessing reserved for His people (Psalm 29:11); promised to His faithful servants (Psalm 85:8); for those who love His law (Psalm 119:165); for those who trust (Isaiah 26:3); a secured covenant (Isaiah 54:10); a spiritual gift (Romans 8:6); an effect of righteousness (Isaiah 32:17); and a result of a mind set on the Spirit (Romans 8:6).

Peace also comes after godly discipline (Hebrews 12:11) and guards our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7).

Believers have the utmost shalom: peace with God through Christ (Romans 5:1). The prophesied Prince of Peace has come, and His chastisement brought us peace with God (Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 53:5). We can rejoice that, not only has He given and continues giving peace, but He himself is our peace (Ephesians 2:14)!

4.) He is Jehovah-Shammah: The LORD Is There

In Ezekiel 48:35, Jehovah-Shammah is a symbolic name for God’s presence in the earthly Jerusalem: “And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The LORD Is There” (italics added).

In this context, the Israelites’ shameless rebellion and detestable idolatry caused God to withdraw His presence from them. Yet, in abounding mercy, Jehovah-Shammah did not fully abandon Jerusalem. Through the prophet Ezekiel, God promised to restore and return to Jerusalem. In that day, the city would be called “Jehovah-Shammah.” That very prophecy was fulfilled when the exiles returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the walls.

The Lord’s once-departed glory (Ezekiel 8-11) had returned (Ezekiel 44:1-4)—and His presence returned with fulfillment in the form of Jesus Christ. And though Jesus physically departed from the earth after his death, He ascended into heaven with assurance for us:

“I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

In his place, the Holy Spirit was provided to dwell in the Church and His people forever (John 14:15-17). He is there within us, teaching, helping, convicting, and interceding for us.

We eagerly await God’s restoration of the New Jerusalem, where we will dwell glorified in His presence forever. And as we apply this promise to our present lives, we are fueled by the Spirit’s power (Acts 1:8).

Matthew Henry says of our divine union with Jehovah-Shammah:

“It is true of every good Christian; he dwells in God, and God in him; whatever soul has in it a living principle of grace, it may be truly said, The Lord is There.”

The Name That is Above Every Name

When life’s hardships often tempt us to forget that God is our Shepherd, Provider, Peace, and that He is There, gaze upon the name of Jesus Christ. Paul says of him:

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

This name of incomparable power, authority, and deity humbled Himself to be made lower than the angels, to suffer death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone (Hebrews 2:9). This name poured out His life unto death, numbered among the transgressors, bearing the sins of many, making intercession for the transgressors (Isaiah 53:12).

Yet, this name brought salvation (Acts 4:12), and was given dominion, glory, and kingship, so that every people, nation, and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed (Daniel 7:14).

So in faith, we respond in praise:

Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore! (Psalm 113:2)

THE AUTHOR

Meredith Hodge

Meredith Hodge lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband Matt. She is a freelance writer and editor who loves coffee, spending time in nature, cooking, reading, and serving others in ministry. Meredith blogs about living for Christ in faith-led freedom and grace-filled growth. Follow her blog at It's Positive!.

Posted at: https://unlockingthebible.org/2019/09/knowing-god-name/

What Does It Mean To Fear God

Article by Mark Altrogge

What does it mean to fear God? And is the fear of the Lord a good or bad thing?

It depends what you mean. Depending on your background, the fear of the Lord can sound incredibly distasteful. If you grew up in a church that portrayed God as always waiting to strike you down for the slightest fault, then fearing God probably sounds pretty terrible.

In my pre-Christian, Roman Catholic days, my fear of the Lord (at least this is what I grew up believing) was essentially a fear of going to hell. I was taught that if I missed Mass on Sunday that was a mortal sin that needed to be confessed if I were to escape hell. As you can imagine, I feared God, but it wasn’t a good or healthy fear. I had no assurance of salvation.

I had no sense that God loved me. I felt like I could never please him, that he was always unhappy with me and waiting to punish me. I carried that unhealthy fear of the Lord into my early days as a Christian. If you asked me, “What does it mean to fear God?”, I couldn’t have given you a good answer.

A Healthy View of The Fear of the Lord

Gradually I came to understand the gospel that God so loved me he sent Jesus to die for me, and that when he saved me, he adopted me as his son and that nothing could ever separate me from his love.

But scripture talks about the fear of the Lord in a very positive manner.

Consider the words of Psalm 147:10-11:

His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Or consider Proverbs 1:7, which says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

I have a friend who describes his grandfather as a cantankerous old man who would sit in his chair all day and thwack him and his cousins with his cane anytime they walked in front of him. Is this what God is like?

Sitting in his chair, trying to keep people from having fun? A cosmic grouch?

Does fearing God mean that we are scared to death of him, assuming that he’s just waiting to lash out at us?

God commands us to fear him and says that he takes pleasure in us when have the fear of the Lord. Why? Does he enjoy it when we have a fear of God? I know I don’t want my children to be afraid of me. I want them to love me and enjoy being with me, not to be afraid of me.

In order to answer this question, we need to understand what it means to have a proper fear of God.

What Does It Mean To Fear God? Humility

So what does it mean to fear God?

Here’s a simple definition of the fear of the Lord:

The “fear of God” that brings God pleasure is not our being afraid of him, but our having a high and exalted, reverential view of him.

To “fear him” means to stand in awe of him:

Let all the earth FEAR the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world STAND IN AWE OF HIM! (Psalm 33:8).

You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! (Psalm 22:23)

To fear the Lord is to stand in awe of his majesty, power, wisdom, justice, and mercy, especially in Christ – in his life, death and resurrection – that is, to have an exalted view of God.

To fear God means to dwell upon his beautiful, glorious holiness which is the very opposite of sin and evil, and to revere God and know that he loves us so much that he desires us to hate and turn away from sin.

To see God in all his glory and then respond to him appropriately. To humble ourselves before him.

To adore him.

What does it mean to fear God? It means to revere and glorify and love him above all else.

We tend to be in awe of worldly power, talent, intelligence, and beauty. But these things don’t impress God because “His delight is not in the strength of the horse (mighty armies, worldly power) nor his pleasure in the legs of a man (human strength).” After all, we are simply frail, earthen vesselswhom God uses for his pleasure.

But God delights in those who fear him – those who stand in awe of him – and instead of trusting in their own human abilities or resources, “hope in his steadfast love.”

This is why we must be quick to listen and slow to speak. We know that we are creatures who desperately need God, and so we don’t always voice our opinions immediately.

What Does It Mean To Fear God? Childlike Reverence

There is also a sense of “childlike” fear of the Lord. R.C. Sproul, speaking of Martin Luther, said this:

Luther is thinking of a child who has tremendous respect and love for his father or mother and who dearly wants to please them. He has a fear or an anxiety of offending the one he loves, not because he’s afraid of torture or even of punishment, but rather because he’s afraid of displeasing the one who is, in that child’s world, the source of security and love.

To fear God is to relate to him as a child relates to his strong, respectful father. We respect and honor the Lord, and we are afraid of displeasing him. Therefore we obey him.

We know that he loves us and delights in us, and we are simultaneously aware that he is holy, righteous, and above all else. We fear him in the sense that we have a deep respect for him and reverence of him.

Charles Spurgeon helpfully put is this way:

There is the natural fear that the creature has of its Creator, because of its own insignificance and its Maker’s greatness. From that we shall never be altogether delivered. We holy awe we shall bow before the divine majesty, even when we come to be in perfect glory.

The Wicked Do Not Fear God

By way of contrast, the wicked person doesn’t fear God. He doesn’t stand in awe of God. The wicked don’t honor or revere or love God.

The wicked have a low view of God:

Transgression speaks to the wicked
deep in his heart;
there is no fear of God
before his eyes.
For he flatters himself in his own eyes
that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit;
he has ceased to act wisely and do good.
He plots trouble while on his bed;
he sets himself in a way that is not good;
he does not reject evil.” (Psalm 36:1-4)

The wicked person has such a low view of God and such a lack of awe for God that he doesn’t think God can find out his sin or hate it.

He doesn’t act wisely or do good because he doesn’t view God as holy and just and serious about punishing sin. He trusts in his own wits and strength. Obviously, the Lord doesn’t find any pleasure in the wicked.

The wicked refuses to fear God.

The Fear Of The Lord Brings Great Reward

In his book The Joy of Fearing God, Jerry Bridges says:

We cannot separate trust of God from the fear of God. We trust Him only to the extent that we genuinely stand in awe of Him.

It’s odd how little we talk about the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is a wonderful gift from God that has brought joy and gladness into my life and has spared me from unimaginable pain and suffering.

Yet I’ve never heard a message preached on it. I don’t hear Christians talking about it. It doesn’t seem to be in the forefront of many people’s minds. It may be, but I don’t hear much about it. What is this wonderful gift from God, this incredible blessing? It is the fear of the Lord.

God tells us that to fear him will lead to all kinds of wonderful blessings in our lives. For example, the fear of the Lord leads us to an abundant life.

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.
(Proverbs 14:27)

Sin leads to death. God wants us to experience an abundant life – a fountain of life. God doesn’t tell us to fear him to squelch our fun, but to give us overflowing joy.

The fear of the Lord gives us great confidence in life and blessing for our children:

In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.
(Proverbs 14:26)

The fear of the Lord causes us to experience God’s friendship and to know his covenant promises to us:

The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.
(Proverbs 25:14)

Let Us Have A Healthy Fear of The Lord

So let us fear God – stand in awe of him, take refuge in him, and hope in his steadfast love. For it brings the Lord pleasure when we trust in him for strength and help, not our own wits and resources.

It also serves as a protection for us. When we fear God appropriately, we stay far from sin. We don’t want to displease our good and loving father. We want to delight him.

The fear of the Lord is not a bad thing. Rather, when understood rightly, it motivates us to worship God and follow hard after him.

We know he’s our father. We know he’s good. But we also agree with Mr. Beaver in the book The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Speaking of the lion Aslan (who represents the Lord), he says:

Safe? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.

Posted at: https://theblazingcenter.com/2017/03/what-does-it-mean-to-fear-god.html