To Encourage You

Proverbs 29:25 “The fear of man lays a snare”

Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom”

Maybe you have never thought of it this way, but did you know that the Bible is a book about fear.  The words “fear” or “afraid” are found nearly 600 times in its pages.  Obviously, the Lord knows that fear is one of the most problematic issues in our lives, and so He deals with the subject exhaustively in what He’s written to us. 

Fear can have both positive and negative effects on our life.  There is such a thing as godly fear and there is such a thing as ungodly fear.  Perhaps one way to think about this is that godly fear can keep us from doing what we should not do and motivate us to do what we should. On the other hand, ungodly fear can keep us from doing what we should do, and motivate us to do things that we should not do.  We see examples of both types of fear in the verses above from Proverbs.  

First, the fear of man, which is a fear that does not honor God, is called a “snare.” A snare is a type of trap for animals. When we fear man, it can cause us to walk into a trap from which we can’t extract ourselves.  Peer pressure is a fear like this.  Throughout the book of Proverbs young people are warned against going with the crowd that is up to no good. It is the fear of rejection by other people that can motivate us to do things that we wouldn’t otherwise do.  How many drug addicts started their dismal path in this way? How many alcoholics? How many gang members who are sitting in prison today for committing murder? It’s such a trap.  

Fear of man can cause us to disobey God in other ways, as well, such as in failing to share the gospel that God has called all believers to preach.  It’s the fear of what others might think or say that can cause us to keep our mouths shut and neglect telling the greatest story ever told to those that we say we care about.  

On the other hand, we are told that the fear of the Lord is a very good thing. It’s a reverential awe of Him. It’s a recognition that He has the right and the power to punish sinners for their sin. Such fear will cause a person to take God very seriously. It will motivate him or her to pay very close attention to what God has told us in His Word.  It is this fear that is the very beginning of wisdom. It’s the very first step in knowing how to live.  

We see an example of this in the apostle Paul, who thought he knew so much before he met the glorious Christ. But then, in blinding light, He saw Him, and in his terrifying realization of such omnipotence, he suddenly realized that all his life he’d been a fool.  It was only then that Paul could be taught anything that really mattered.  It was only then that he could begin to live a life that would bring blessing to the world.  And it was only then that Paul knew the power of fearing nothing but God, as he gave his life to serve the Lord.  

So, what are you afraid of? What kind of fears are affecting your life?  Is it the fear of man that is nothing more than a trap? Is it the fear of loss, or danger, or the future, or death? Or is it the fear of the Lord that frees you from all other fears that are such traps? May God help us to fear the right things, the things that bring blessing to every area of life.