I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, and have forgotten the LORD, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and you fear continually all the day because of the wrath of the oppressor, when he sets himself to destroy? And where is the wrath of the oppressor? He who is bowed down shall speedily be released; he shall not die and go down to the pit, neither shall his bread be lacking. (Isaiah 51:12-14; ESV)
A couple of months ago, I began a new journey in my spiritual life. It started as I was struck by Yeshua's words to a particular synagogue official. Yeshua had been on his way to heal his daughter, but she died before he arrived. When the official heard the tragic news, Yeshua said to him, "Do not fear, only believe" (Mark 5:36; ESV). It surprised me to read that it was fear, not doubt that was the potential obstacle to faith and restoration.
Fear is a common human emotion and one that I am greatly familiar with. I know that as a believer in the Messiah, it is not appropriate, but seeing it addressed in this way shed new light on it and has helped me to confront fear more effectively.
This week's Haftarah provides us with yet another angle as to the inappropriate nature of fear in the lives of God's people. The wording here again took me by surprise. Maybe it's just me, but the way God confronts fear here is not what I expected. In this context the people of Israel are afraid of "the wrath of the oppressor." When God confronts Israel's fear one would expect him to say something like, "Who is this oppressor that you are so afraid?", but instead he says, "...who are you that you are afraid...?"
The presence of fear in this case is due not so much to how threatening the enemy was, but because of a lack of correct self awareness. They were reacting to their situation as if they had been abandoned by God and therefore had reason to fear. They had forgotten who they were as God's own children.
Having a correct understanding of God is essential to having a correct understanding of our relationship to God. But it is not enough to understand how great God is if we don't grasp the nature of what it means to be his children.
As followers of the Messiah, we are assured of God's presence, love, and provision. And yet we often find ourselves intimidated by fear as we face difficult people or situations. At those times we may justify our fear for one reason or another. We really do feel threatened. We try to remember how capable God is, but for some reason, we still fear. Perhaps the reason is we haven't really accepted what it means to belong to God. We have forgotten who we are. As we read in the New Covenant writings:
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" (Romans 8:15)
This suggests that what God has done for us through the Messiah has affected a fundamental change in our hearts. Yet some of us still struggle with fear. If we do, then we need to stop and ask the same question God asked Israel through Isaiah: "Who are you?" If we are not God's children, we can become so through repentance and faith in Yeshua as Messiah. And then once we realize that we truly are God's children, the fear that was once so prevalent will begin to disappear.
3 comments:
I had a similar new understanding some years ago when I read the story of Davd, Uzzah and the ark in 2 Samuel 6. It has always been my understanding that to "fear" God we must also be "afraid" of him. Yet I saw here that David gave up blessings; destined for him; to Uzzah and his household because he became "afraid" of God and the ark. In some respects, David no longer properly "feared" or respected God but instead pushed Him out of his life. Mainly due to his fear and uncertainties relating to the ark. This understanding of the difference between healthy respectful fear and trembling afraid; which are opposites really; changed my perception of God the father and the salvation He has freely given.
Thank you for your great post. I found it rewarding.
Scott,
Excellent insight!
Alan (TorahBytes)
Have you considered that maybe its because of who we are supposed to be that the fear sets in? Yah has unequivocally tied His offer of covenant and the blessings thereof, to our obedience to His commandments and learning to walk in His ways. This is true even in Messiah, since Y’shua says those who love him will keep His commandments. This is what occurred to me when reading our post.
When crisis or trouble comes whether it’s external or from within, we begin to question and examine ourselves as to the reason for the predicament. If we’re honest in our assessment and we find ourselves woefully short of our commitment to Yah, fear sets in. This however, should provoke repentance in us—godly sorrow leads to repentance. Those who are stubborn or rebellious usually get stuck here, because they have lost sight of who they’re supposed to be. This was the case with Israel therefore, Yah asks them this question to remind them of this very thing; “Who are you that you should fear?” A right consideration of this question would result in the obvious answer; “ Forgive us Lord, we are your people and we have sinned greatly.” This is the response of a people who readily humble themselves to Yah’s chastening hand that shouts “Wake up! What are you doing? Get back on track before you are destroyed!”
The righteous ones respond to crisis in quite a different way—they trust. They immediately commend themselves God for His examination. If they find themselves clear of guilt before the Lord, then they submit to His chastening hand that intends to fashion them into the Messiah Y’shua’s image. This is their desire so they willingly endure the ‘press’ that will prefect them. “…Perfect love casts out fear...”
You are right, we should trust in Yah’s loving-kindness and faithfulness toward us, because his purpose is never to harm us but to bless us. We are the sons and daughters of God, who in love, established us as such in Y’shua the Messiah. If we are acting in love and respect for Him there is no reason to fear, but rather to trust.
In His Name,
Jacqui
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