02-17-2007, 05:01 PM
Had this rolling around in my head yesterday and decided to try to put some it in words ... :love:
Fear of Man versus Fear of Jehovah
FEAR
How that word seems to instantly cause us to tense up and … yes brings a ‘fearful’ feeling to our hearts …
Why is this?
Let’s look at the meaning for fear in the dictionary to get a clue …
1. An agitated feeling aroused by awareness of actual or threatening danger, trouble, etc.; dread; terror. 2. An uneasy feeling that something may happen contrary to one’s desires. 3. A feeling of deep, reverential awe and dread: the fear of God. 4. A continuing state or attitude of fright, dread, or alarmed concern: to live in fear. 5. The possibility that something dreaded or unwanted may occur.
1. To be in dread or terror of; be frightened of. 2. To be uneasy or apprehensive over (an unwanted or unpleasant possibility): to fear death. 3. To have a deep, reverential awe of. 4. To feel fear within (oneself). 5. To frighten. 6. To feel dread or terror. 7. To feel uneasy; have misgivings.
As we can see from the definitions above … for the MOST part the would ‘fear’ is looked at as something that causes BAD or SCARED feelings in us and wouldn’t necessarily be viewed as of something we would WANT to feel …
However, there was also ANOTHER definition amongst the others … that of ‘fear’ being a GOOD thing … and it being in relation to our GOD …
I was thinking that it might be a good thing to examine the DIFFERENCES of EMOTION and CAUSES that this ‘fear’ brings to us from these two different sources.
First of all let us look at … the FEAR OF MAN …
Through the centuries we have seen the Scripture at Eccl. 8:9 sadly come to pass …
9 All this I have seen, and there was an applying of my heart to every work that has been done under the sun, [during] the time that man has dominated man to his injury.
We have seen this ‘domination’ take many forms … from man dominating his wife … also in accord with Scripture Gen. 3:16 …
16 To the woman he said: “I shall greatly increase the pain of your pregnancy; in birth pangs you will bring forth children, and your craving will be for your husband, and he will dominate you.â€
… and man dominating other men, be it nations or races.
Due to the fact this kind of ‘domination’ was NOT for a GOOD purpose, it would have no other outcome but to arouse an unhealthy and unholy fear for the ‘dominator’ in those being dominated over.
I can just imagine the fear that must have struck the heart of Abel when his brother raised his arm to strike him down … and that fear of being hurt … physically, emotionally, and spiritually has been passed down through the millennia growing in intensity instead of diminishing, and we see the sad results today in the amount of ‘abuses’ that go on in families, work, governments, countries and so on …
Indeed ‘fear’ has taken a deep root in the hearts of men and women and children, surely to the great satisfaction of one who caused such fear to come into existence in the first place, God’s enemy, Satan the Devil the greatest cause for fear the world has ever known.
This kind of fear causes us to shrink into ourselves, to close ourselves off from others, to narrow our world and look at it through eyes and hearts filled with apprehension and terror instead of openness and joy.
As Christians, what can this ‘fear of man’ cause us to do and feel?
1John 4:18 …
18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love throws fear outside, because fear exercises a restraint. Indeed, he that is under fear has not been made perfect in love.
As can be seen by this Scripture, this ‘fear of man’ causes two things to happen, both of them bad … it it acts as a RESTRAINT … and this restraint can STOP us from showing or having love … sad indeed …
For example, I cannot help but think of the blind man that Jesus cured on the Sabbath. This account shows us just how unloving this fear of man can cause us to act …
John 9:1,13,14, 16-23 …
9 Now as he was passing along he saw a man blind from birth
13 They led the once-blind man himself to the Pharisees. 14 Incidentally it was Sabbath on the day that Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. 16 Therefore some of the Pharisees began to say: “This is not a man from God, because he does not observe the Sabbath.†Others began to say: “How can a man that is a sinner perform signs of that sort?†So there was a division among them. 17 Hence they said to the blind man again: “What do you say about him, seeing that he opened your eyes?†The [man] said: “He is a prophet.â€
18 However, the Jews did not believe concerning him that he had been blind and had gained sight, until they called the parents of the man that gained sight. 19 And they asked them: “Is this YOUR son who YOU say was born blind? How, then, is it he sees at present?†20 Then in answer his parents said: “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But how it is he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. ASK him. He is of age. He must speak for himself.†22 His parents said these things because they were in fear of the Jews, for the Jews had already come to an agreement that, if anyone confessed him as Christ, he should get expelled from the synagogue. 23 This is why his parents said: “He is of age. QUESTION him.â€
So here we see Jesus having healed a man of a lifetime spent in literal darkness, and then him being questioned in an interrogative manner by those who should have been pleased at this. When they didn’t get the answer they wanted, from the man they call in his parents.
Now you would think that they would have been so overwhelmed with gladness and thankfulness that their son was now able to see, but is this the case here. Well maybe in their hearts they were, but the FEAR OF MAN caused them to override what may have been in their hearts and succumb to the trembling that can be caused by man.
Prov. 25:29 brings this out for us very well …
25 Trembling at men is what lays a snare, but he that is trusting in Jehovah will be protected.
Instead of them standing up for their son, they let the fear of what these men could do to them, expel them from the Synagogue, in essence, ruin their life on so many levels, that they allowed this fear to cause them to ‘give up their son’ as it were …
We see what happens next in this account going on in verses 24-38 …
24 Therefore a second time they called the man that had been blind and said to him: “Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.†25 In turn he answered: “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that, whereas I was blind, I see at present.†26 Therefore they said to him: “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?†27 He answered them: “I told YOU already, and yet YOU did not listen. Why do YOU want to hear it again? YOU do not want to become his disciples also, do YOU?†28 At this they reviled him and said: “You are a disciple of that [man], but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses; but as for this [man], we do not know where he is from.†30 In answer the man said to them: “This certainly is a marvel, that YOU do not know where he is from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is God-fearing and does his will, he listens to this one. 32 From of old it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of one born blind. 33 If this [man] were not from God, he could do nothing at all.†34 In answer they said to him: “You were altogether born in sins, and yet are you teaching us?†And they threw him out!
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and, on finding him, he said: “Are you putting faith in the Son of man?†36 The [man] answered: “And who is he, sir, that I may put faith in him?†37 Jesus said to him: “You have seen him and, besides, he that is speaking with you is that one.†38 Then he said: “I do put faith [in him], Lord.†And he did obeisance to him.
I find it VERY HEARTWARMING and ENCOURAGING that while the parents allowed fear of man to dictate their conduct, the son did not! Also I find REALLY WONDERFUL what our Lord did next … he went and FOUND the man!! Yes, he didn’t leave the man on his own in shame and isolation, but rather sought him and encouraged him!!
Another example of allowing ‘fear’ to govern our conduct, and the unchristian results that can come from doing so is the well known example of Peter in Gal. 2:11-14 …
11 However, when Ce´phas came to Antioch, I resisted him face to face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before the arrival of certain men from James, he used to eat with people of the nations; but when they arrived, he went withdrawing and separating himself, in fear of those of the circumcised class. 13 The rest of the Jews also joined him in putting on this pretense, so that even Bar´na•bas was led along with them in their pretense. 14 But when I saw they were not walking straight according to the truth of the good news, I said to Ce´phas before them all: “If you, though you are a Jew, live as the nations do, and not as Jews do, how is it that you are compelling people of the nations to live according to Jewish practice?â€
Yes, Peter let the ‘fear of man’, how others would narrow mindedly view him, dictate his conduct toward his fellow Christians to the extent that he closed the door on his love and tender affections, and became, in essence, a hypocrite and causing others to follow his wrong example! This type of unchristian conduct that Peter displayed, that put a RESTRAINT in him, caused the apostle Paul to rightly and strongly correct him.
After seeing how this type of ‘fear of man’ is a hindrance to our spirituality and can separate us from our brothers and sisters, or cause us to compromise on our faith, or can stifle the love we need to have, it is well that we would actively seek out ways and means to avoid having it overcome us!
But what about the other ‘fear’ …
The ‘fear of God’ …
Is it different from the ‘fear of man’ …?
Indeed the two are WORLD apart!!
What the fear of God is brought out for us beautifully at Ps. 19:9 …
9 The fear of Jehovah is pure, standing forever.
The judicial decisions of Jehovah are true; they have proved altogether righteous.
Yes, this fear is NOT based on someone dominating another … but rather based on a DEEP LOVE and DEVOTION toward another … an extreme AWE and REVERANCE based on AFFECTION and knowing that the other one, GOD, is DESERVING of such whole-souled worship …
We show this ‘fear of God’ … this reverence, NOT because He will HURT us … or even PUNISH us … but because we WANT to … because WE don’t want to HURT HIM …
The unselfish and totally undeserved mercy, or grace, that our God bestows upon us, deeply humbles us because we no that we are so unworthy as sinners for him to show this kindness toward us …
This fear of God that we have, instead of causing us to be ‘narrow’ in our thoughts and feelings … quite does the OPPOSITE …
In fact this fear of God causes us to LOSE OUR FEAR OF MAN … and we then are able to do things that we may never have thought possible to do before …!!
2Cor. 6:11-13 …
11 Our mouth has been opened to YOU, Corinthians, our heart has widened out. 12 YOU are not cramped for room within us, but YOU are cramped for room in YOUR own tender affections. 13 So, as a recompense in return—I speak as to children—YOU, too, widen out.
If we have the fear of God that is mentioned at Duet. 6:1,2 shows how it will affect our life and for how long …
6 “Now these are the commandment, the regulations and the judicial decisions that Jehovah YOUR God has commanded to teach YOU, so as to do them in the land to which YOU are passing over there to take possession of it; 2 in order that you may fear Jehovah your God so as to keep all his statutes and his commandments that I am commanding you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and in order that your days may prove long.
Yes, where the fear of man can ultimately lead to our death … the fear of God holds out life, a better life now and most certainly a better life in the future!!
When Jesus walked the earth time and time and time again he asked the people NOT TO FEAR HIM …
Obviously fear of man had taken its toll over the first few thousand years of man’s existence … no doubt including an unhealthy and ungodly fear of Jehovah himself!
Jesus was trying to dispel that ominous dread that we might have for our God and trying to show the proper ‘fear’ … the deep ‘reverence’ and ‘awe’ we need to have … MINUS the paralyzing and alienating fear that had come to grip mankind over the previous centuries … including even fearing mentioning our heavenly Father’s very name!!
So, let us RELISH in the ‘fear of God’ … and seek to suppress the ‘fear of man’ … for one is good and for our everlasting benefit … and one is false … and based on suppression instead of the freedom that we should have as sons of God!!
Luv BR :sheepy: :bouncyhearts:
Fear of Man versus Fear of Jehovah
FEAR
How that word seems to instantly cause us to tense up and … yes brings a ‘fearful’ feeling to our hearts …
Why is this?
Let’s look at the meaning for fear in the dictionary to get a clue …
1. An agitated feeling aroused by awareness of actual or threatening danger, trouble, etc.; dread; terror. 2. An uneasy feeling that something may happen contrary to one’s desires. 3. A feeling of deep, reverential awe and dread: the fear of God. 4. A continuing state or attitude of fright, dread, or alarmed concern: to live in fear. 5. The possibility that something dreaded or unwanted may occur.
1. To be in dread or terror of; be frightened of. 2. To be uneasy or apprehensive over (an unwanted or unpleasant possibility): to fear death. 3. To have a deep, reverential awe of. 4. To feel fear within (oneself). 5. To frighten. 6. To feel dread or terror. 7. To feel uneasy; have misgivings.
As we can see from the definitions above … for the MOST part the would ‘fear’ is looked at as something that causes BAD or SCARED feelings in us and wouldn’t necessarily be viewed as of something we would WANT to feel …
However, there was also ANOTHER definition amongst the others … that of ‘fear’ being a GOOD thing … and it being in relation to our GOD …
I was thinking that it might be a good thing to examine the DIFFERENCES of EMOTION and CAUSES that this ‘fear’ brings to us from these two different sources.
First of all let us look at … the FEAR OF MAN …
Through the centuries we have seen the Scripture at Eccl. 8:9 sadly come to pass …
9 All this I have seen, and there was an applying of my heart to every work that has been done under the sun, [during] the time that man has dominated man to his injury.
We have seen this ‘domination’ take many forms … from man dominating his wife … also in accord with Scripture Gen. 3:16 …
16 To the woman he said: “I shall greatly increase the pain of your pregnancy; in birth pangs you will bring forth children, and your craving will be for your husband, and he will dominate you.â€
… and man dominating other men, be it nations or races.
Due to the fact this kind of ‘domination’ was NOT for a GOOD purpose, it would have no other outcome but to arouse an unhealthy and unholy fear for the ‘dominator’ in those being dominated over.
I can just imagine the fear that must have struck the heart of Abel when his brother raised his arm to strike him down … and that fear of being hurt … physically, emotionally, and spiritually has been passed down through the millennia growing in intensity instead of diminishing, and we see the sad results today in the amount of ‘abuses’ that go on in families, work, governments, countries and so on …
Indeed ‘fear’ has taken a deep root in the hearts of men and women and children, surely to the great satisfaction of one who caused such fear to come into existence in the first place, God’s enemy, Satan the Devil the greatest cause for fear the world has ever known.
This kind of fear causes us to shrink into ourselves, to close ourselves off from others, to narrow our world and look at it through eyes and hearts filled with apprehension and terror instead of openness and joy.
As Christians, what can this ‘fear of man’ cause us to do and feel?
1John 4:18 …
18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love throws fear outside, because fear exercises a restraint. Indeed, he that is under fear has not been made perfect in love.
As can be seen by this Scripture, this ‘fear of man’ causes two things to happen, both of them bad … it it acts as a RESTRAINT … and this restraint can STOP us from showing or having love … sad indeed …
For example, I cannot help but think of the blind man that Jesus cured on the Sabbath. This account shows us just how unloving this fear of man can cause us to act …
John 9:1,13,14, 16-23 …
9 Now as he was passing along he saw a man blind from birth
13 They led the once-blind man himself to the Pharisees. 14 Incidentally it was Sabbath on the day that Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. 16 Therefore some of the Pharisees began to say: “This is not a man from God, because he does not observe the Sabbath.†Others began to say: “How can a man that is a sinner perform signs of that sort?†So there was a division among them. 17 Hence they said to the blind man again: “What do you say about him, seeing that he opened your eyes?†The [man] said: “He is a prophet.â€
18 However, the Jews did not believe concerning him that he had been blind and had gained sight, until they called the parents of the man that gained sight. 19 And they asked them: “Is this YOUR son who YOU say was born blind? How, then, is it he sees at present?†20 Then in answer his parents said: “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But how it is he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. ASK him. He is of age. He must speak for himself.†22 His parents said these things because they were in fear of the Jews, for the Jews had already come to an agreement that, if anyone confessed him as Christ, he should get expelled from the synagogue. 23 This is why his parents said: “He is of age. QUESTION him.â€
So here we see Jesus having healed a man of a lifetime spent in literal darkness, and then him being questioned in an interrogative manner by those who should have been pleased at this. When they didn’t get the answer they wanted, from the man they call in his parents.
Now you would think that they would have been so overwhelmed with gladness and thankfulness that their son was now able to see, but is this the case here. Well maybe in their hearts they were, but the FEAR OF MAN caused them to override what may have been in their hearts and succumb to the trembling that can be caused by man.
Prov. 25:29 brings this out for us very well …
25 Trembling at men is what lays a snare, but he that is trusting in Jehovah will be protected.
Instead of them standing up for their son, they let the fear of what these men could do to them, expel them from the Synagogue, in essence, ruin their life on so many levels, that they allowed this fear to cause them to ‘give up their son’ as it were …
We see what happens next in this account going on in verses 24-38 …
24 Therefore a second time they called the man that had been blind and said to him: “Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.†25 In turn he answered: “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that, whereas I was blind, I see at present.†26 Therefore they said to him: “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?†27 He answered them: “I told YOU already, and yet YOU did not listen. Why do YOU want to hear it again? YOU do not want to become his disciples also, do YOU?†28 At this they reviled him and said: “You are a disciple of that [man], but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses; but as for this [man], we do not know where he is from.†30 In answer the man said to them: “This certainly is a marvel, that YOU do not know where he is from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is God-fearing and does his will, he listens to this one. 32 From of old it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of one born blind. 33 If this [man] were not from God, he could do nothing at all.†34 In answer they said to him: “You were altogether born in sins, and yet are you teaching us?†And they threw him out!
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and, on finding him, he said: “Are you putting faith in the Son of man?†36 The [man] answered: “And who is he, sir, that I may put faith in him?†37 Jesus said to him: “You have seen him and, besides, he that is speaking with you is that one.†38 Then he said: “I do put faith [in him], Lord.†And he did obeisance to him.
I find it VERY HEARTWARMING and ENCOURAGING that while the parents allowed fear of man to dictate their conduct, the son did not! Also I find REALLY WONDERFUL what our Lord did next … he went and FOUND the man!! Yes, he didn’t leave the man on his own in shame and isolation, but rather sought him and encouraged him!!
Another example of allowing ‘fear’ to govern our conduct, and the unchristian results that can come from doing so is the well known example of Peter in Gal. 2:11-14 …
11 However, when Ce´phas came to Antioch, I resisted him face to face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before the arrival of certain men from James, he used to eat with people of the nations; but when they arrived, he went withdrawing and separating himself, in fear of those of the circumcised class. 13 The rest of the Jews also joined him in putting on this pretense, so that even Bar´na•bas was led along with them in their pretense. 14 But when I saw they were not walking straight according to the truth of the good news, I said to Ce´phas before them all: “If you, though you are a Jew, live as the nations do, and not as Jews do, how is it that you are compelling people of the nations to live according to Jewish practice?â€
Yes, Peter let the ‘fear of man’, how others would narrow mindedly view him, dictate his conduct toward his fellow Christians to the extent that he closed the door on his love and tender affections, and became, in essence, a hypocrite and causing others to follow his wrong example! This type of unchristian conduct that Peter displayed, that put a RESTRAINT in him, caused the apostle Paul to rightly and strongly correct him.
After seeing how this type of ‘fear of man’ is a hindrance to our spirituality and can separate us from our brothers and sisters, or cause us to compromise on our faith, or can stifle the love we need to have, it is well that we would actively seek out ways and means to avoid having it overcome us!
But what about the other ‘fear’ …
The ‘fear of God’ …
Is it different from the ‘fear of man’ …?
Indeed the two are WORLD apart!!
What the fear of God is brought out for us beautifully at Ps. 19:9 …
9 The fear of Jehovah is pure, standing forever.
The judicial decisions of Jehovah are true; they have proved altogether righteous.
Yes, this fear is NOT based on someone dominating another … but rather based on a DEEP LOVE and DEVOTION toward another … an extreme AWE and REVERANCE based on AFFECTION and knowing that the other one, GOD, is DESERVING of such whole-souled worship …
We show this ‘fear of God’ … this reverence, NOT because He will HURT us … or even PUNISH us … but because we WANT to … because WE don’t want to HURT HIM …
The unselfish and totally undeserved mercy, or grace, that our God bestows upon us, deeply humbles us because we no that we are so unworthy as sinners for him to show this kindness toward us …
This fear of God that we have, instead of causing us to be ‘narrow’ in our thoughts and feelings … quite does the OPPOSITE …
In fact this fear of God causes us to LOSE OUR FEAR OF MAN … and we then are able to do things that we may never have thought possible to do before …!!
2Cor. 6:11-13 …
11 Our mouth has been opened to YOU, Corinthians, our heart has widened out. 12 YOU are not cramped for room within us, but YOU are cramped for room in YOUR own tender affections. 13 So, as a recompense in return—I speak as to children—YOU, too, widen out.
If we have the fear of God that is mentioned at Duet. 6:1,2 shows how it will affect our life and for how long …
6 “Now these are the commandment, the regulations and the judicial decisions that Jehovah YOUR God has commanded to teach YOU, so as to do them in the land to which YOU are passing over there to take possession of it; 2 in order that you may fear Jehovah your God so as to keep all his statutes and his commandments that I am commanding you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and in order that your days may prove long.
Yes, where the fear of man can ultimately lead to our death … the fear of God holds out life, a better life now and most certainly a better life in the future!!
When Jesus walked the earth time and time and time again he asked the people NOT TO FEAR HIM …
Obviously fear of man had taken its toll over the first few thousand years of man’s existence … no doubt including an unhealthy and ungodly fear of Jehovah himself!
Jesus was trying to dispel that ominous dread that we might have for our God and trying to show the proper ‘fear’ … the deep ‘reverence’ and ‘awe’ we need to have … MINUS the paralyzing and alienating fear that had come to grip mankind over the previous centuries … including even fearing mentioning our heavenly Father’s very name!!
So, let us RELISH in the ‘fear of God’ … and seek to suppress the ‘fear of man’ … for one is good and for our everlasting benefit … and one is false … and based on suppression instead of the freedom that we should have as sons of God!!
Luv BR :sheepy: :bouncyhearts: