"Jeremiah 17 is the classic biblical text on the fear of man. It reduces the decisions of life to two options: Will you trust in man or will you trust in the Lord?
Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
He will be like a bush in the wastelands;
He will not see prosperity when it comes.
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
In a salt land where no one lives.
But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
Whose confidence is in him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when the heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
And never fails to bear fruit. (Jer 17:5-8)
The Old Testament indicates that we stand at the crossroads between fear of others and fear of God. The road leading to the fear of man may be expressed in terms of favoritism, wanting others to think well of you, fearing exposure by them, or being overwhelmed by their perceived physical power. When these fears are not combated with the fear of the Lord, the consequences can be devastating. But when God is given his rightful place in our lives, old bonds can be shattered." (Welch, pg.71)
2 comments:
Timely post!
I started reading the book a little while ago, and I think it's pretty helpful.
Aiite bro, hope everything in socal is going well. Take cares.
- John
what a challenging book and how powerful God's Word. glad you're gleaning much wisdom and learning lots :)
Post a Comment