“The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.” Proverbs 29:25
Devotional Thought For The Day
The commentators do a great job with this proverb, observing that the snare involves both terror and temptation. We are well aware of the paralyzing nature of fear, and the discomfort involved when others threaten us with ruin and destruction. Often the terror is occasioned by mere words – false accusations, threats, criticisms, and other kinds of slander. At times, evil people may even make false charges against us – and we have to rely upon weak and gullible people to “judge” the matter, to determine our “case.” We may have to contemplate the loss of our reputation, our job, our livelihood, our friends, our influence for good, and perhaps even our health and safety. We don’t always take seriously just how injurious such fear and anxiety really are, but they obviously denude us of peace and joy and our sense of safety and well-being, and these are terrible losses, perhaps even intolerable to live with. Certainly it is not God’s will that we live in such fear, but rather trust in Him. He has given us great promises!
There are many examples from Scripture as to the dangerous temptations that accompany fearing what men can do to us – Abraham denied his wife, and Peter denied even knowing the LORD. Aaron fashioned an idol. The disciples deserted Jesus, and following His death and resurrection, were hiding “for fear of the Jews” rather than continuing their task as witnesses to Jesus and the coming of the Kingdom of God. We have perhaps succumbed to the same kinds of temptations – to simply keep quiet when others berate the Lord or question or even belittle His Word and His will for human life. We may have gone along with evil when the boss demands it or when the majority of the group agrees with it. We may have bit our lip and kept silence when someone in the church speaks falsehood or distorts God’s Word – especially when the lying distortion is commonly accepted as true. Why get in a long and involved argument when it is likely that you will not convince others and others will likely conclude that you are a kook? And we often keep silent when slandering gossips are shredding the reputation of another person. We step aside, thinking the sin belongs only to these others – but we sin by omission when we fear to stand up for what is right and true.
The commentators also do a great job describing what can be done when we trust in the Lord. First, we obviously have a great deal more comfort and courage. Second, such courage enables us to stand up to evil and in many instances do a great deal of good. Remember that courage is not the absence of fear, a denial of real and legitimate threats, but rather a matter of how such threatening circumstances are dealt with. There are also many examples of how God delivers His people from horrific threats, and how His people have accomplished great things by putting faith and trust in Him. Moses delivered the children of Israel from Egypt, David killed Goliath, the judges of Israel won many battles where the odds were stacked against them, Jerusalem survived the siege of the Assyrians, the disciples carried the Gospel into a hostile and dangerous world that forbid them to preach and threatened death unless they kept silent. We are encouraged to the same faith and trust in God, and to the same valiant behavior, to be instruments for God’s glory to shine through and for His honor to be increased.
We also often fail – fearing men rather than trusting in the Lord. But let us absolutely trust in His many assurances of forgiveness and ongoing love. This is the first foundation of courage in the Lord. Let us also take cognizance of the fact that we are not always delivered in the manner we would like – Jesus suffered and died, John the Baptist was beheaded, and James was also martyred. Paul often suffered abuse, as did most of the prophets. So our faith and trust in the Lord – and our confidence that He will keep us safe – extends beyond the experiences of this present temporal world, and on into the eternity of His glorious heavenly kingdom. Our faith is not based upon what is seen, but rather what has been promised but is yet unseen. This is difficult and daunting – but ultimately we all must live by faith, especially as we pass through death. But even in times of doubt and weakness God will keep us safe and deliver us. Remember it is His strength that is made perfect in our weakness, and His grace will always be sufficient for us. So let us make every effort to heed the proverb and to lay hold of the blessings of peace and joy that the Lord wills for us to have!
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, help us to focus on Your promises, Your great and gracious love and mercy, Your power and Your faithfulness to Your people. Strengthen us so that we do not fear men, especially when they seek to terrorize and destroy us, and when they would coerce us into evil behavior. Keep us firm in our faith and trust in Your forgiveness and mercy, and in Your promises for the coming age. Make us courageous and valiant for good so that we may bring glory to Your Name. Amen.