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| When fear has a purpose |
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As I read Exodus 14 the other morning, I tried to imagine the great and terrible awe the Jewish people must have felt as they watched walls of water supernaturally smash down on an entire army of the most skilled and technologically equipped soldiers in the world. In that instant the people must have gone from confusion, uncertainty, and fear of the Egyptians, to the terror of watching the sea violently devour thousands of men right in front of them! But then I noticed the results of their fear. Trust, then joy!
14:31 And when the Israelites saw the great power the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.
By the way, don’t try to tell me fear really means reverence or respect! They were flat out terrified!
But then came trust. Without the fear in this case, there would have been no trust. The best way to earn trust is to demonstrate your capabilities through action, which is exactly what God did, in the extreme!! Now some might actually be tempted to accuse God of overkill in this situation. But it seems clear to me that he knew he was dealing with a doubting people, and therefore wasn’t about to leave any room for doubt.
Then strangely, the people danced……with joy! Their song began,
15:1 I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.
They felt euphoric relief, not only because their enemies were destroyed, but also because the awful power they witnessed was exercised on their behalf. And they didn’t even get their socks wet! A triple dose of joy!!!
But wait, hold on a minute. They just witnessed the deaths of thousands of people! Bodies were washed up all along the shore! How could anyone be joyful after witnessing that???
IF my view of God was a purely sentimental one, this would be downright offensive. But it seems pretty important to remember that God is nothing like a house-trained puppy dog! God calls all the shots, and mankind repeatedly needs reminding. Like Mr. Beaver said of Aslan, King of Beasts, in C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. “Course he isn’t safe! But he’s good."
32:21 You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror.
So for the Israelites, fear had a purpose! And so it can for me too. There are plenty of situations in which I fear. Yet when I fear God more, I have no choice but to trust him. And when I’ve trusted God and he comes through for me yet again, it has become my natural response to praise him! Yes, just as the Israelites did that day by the sea! 15:2 The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.
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| To add a comment to "When fear has a purpose" |
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| December 01, 2007 |
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Outstanding!
"don’t try to tell me fear really means reverence or respect! They were flat out terrified!"
Interesting view Mike. You brought out a couple of things I have yet to consider. Especially when you mentioned all the bodies washed up on shore!
I bet they were in fear. I also bet they didn't want to go anywhere near water for quite some time after that.
Fear - Then Trust - Kinda like us. We feared death, now we trust in the promise of everlasting life.
I admire your insight! Thanks. |
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| December 01, 2007 |
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| Another great blog Mike. Very interesting perspective. |
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| December 01, 2007 |
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Michael, lol ...didn't go near water. Funny. Maybe that explains the route they took through the desert! Now that's insight!
Shannon, I would be willing to bet many of them did indeed p__ their robes, as God demonstrated his awesome power! lol Temporal fear? Interesting. I think any human emotion is bound by time. Remove the stimuli for long enough and the emotion goes away. You're right though, when their fear evaporated, so did their trust, which explains what happened later in their desert journey. Fear is a powerful motivator, as we know, and as God demonstrated. |
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| December 01, 2007 |
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| Thanks Deb! |
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| December 01, 2007 |
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Mike,
I was listening to a bit of "Science Friday" on NPR yesterday and the program was on Stress. This time of the year it seems to be everywhere. What you stated above about fear reminded me of what the program guests said: Between an event and stress there is a perception that must occur. We either perceive to be in control or not. If we perceive that we are in control then the response is not stress. If we perceive that we have no control then stress is the result. Control can be transferred in this case. For example: if we are in a roller coaster we may perceive that control to be transferred to the designers and operators - in which case we enjoy the ride. Whereas if we were in a car doing the same ride through town because the steering wheel came off and the brakes failed - stress!
How true for the Hebrews! They had only the perception of control in themselves and the Egyptian military. When we transfer the control to God then there is no stress. But it only comes about by fully trusting in the Lord. Isn't it wonderful how the things we learn today can help reinforce what we hear in the Scriptures?!
As for me and my house "I'll go along with Mr. Beaver."
PS Thanks for a great blog! |
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| December 01, 2007 |
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Gene, "by fully trusting in the Lord" is a great motto for living. But I get so distracted by everything going on all around me that I loose the fear of the Lord, which for me also means trust. Perhaps when I realize the Lord is fully in control (no, I mean really in control), then will come the trust, then joy. Funny, I just don't experience the deep joy when I'm in control. Am I making any sense? lol
Arlene, I love the honesty of your post! Scripturally there is a balance between fear and love. I loved my parents, but when I disobeyed I had a natural feeling of "fear" of the spanking I would get if (when) I was caught. God is love! But he is also holy, righteous, sovereign, and most lethal!!! Of course I know I am safe with him, because of the reassurances in scripture for the believer. But at the same time, knowing who he is, I have a healthy fear as well. And yes, I mean "fear", as opposed to respect, reverence, etc. I'd rather not reduce God Almighty to some lovable fuzzy pet. The fear truly inspires my trust. |
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| December 01, 2007 |
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| Mike- work out your salvation with fear and trembling. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Exodus 20:20, Moses said to the people, "Don't be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning." Mike great balance. So many people want to go the way of only the love of God which throws out much scripture or God is angry and wants to throw lightning bolts at you which is also very narrow minded and unscriptual. It is a balance of loving God and "fearing" Him. So many people think because I am a preacher of sin, hell, and repentance that I am mean or an angry person. I also preach the grace, love, and forgiveness of God and am a very goofy fun loving jokey person. The same Jesus that loved the rich young ruler also flipped the money changers tables over in the synagogue. Balance! |
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| December 01, 2007 |
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| Thanks Jeff! You said the key word, which is often hard for us to reconcile with our beliefs - balance! It is so tempting to tilt one way or the other, depending on how we feel about God! I deeply appreciate your comment, and your balance!! ~mike |
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| December 01, 2007 |
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| Again... a wonderful blog thank you... I feel that just as the Israelites had fear when the Lord released the waters after awhile they got too comfortable with God and forgot He was in control and began messing up once again...... Just like we do. |
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| December 01, 2007 |
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| I just love your blogs. What a great insight. I had not thought of fear being such a positive powerful motivator. I had always assigned fear a negative connotation. Thanks for something to chew on! |
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| December 01, 2007 |
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Good one, Mike! For a long time, God had me reading the O.T. prophets, and it was then that I really got the concept of a fear of the Lord. I do fear the Lord, and I like having a Lord who is worthy of fearing. Out of the knowledge of this - a God worthy of fearing - comes great security. You can trust Him to be just in all His ways, and if He is truly just, (not necessarily fair, or at least by our definition of the word), then He will be a God to fear. Hallelujah!! |
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| December 01, 2007 |
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Mike great Blog
Now about that roller coster first and last ride I went on in Coney Island (Brooklyn, NY) for those who do not know it was true fear, and I never went on it again ever, I loved the paracut fall isn't that strrange. |
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| December 02, 2007 |
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| I like the heading first Milke! When Fear has a purpose. I think God is giving me a message personally. I have to be afraid of God first and then trust will come. Not for my personal belief but for something else, the Lord is speaking to me through your blog. Thanks for sharing. Peoples' comments here are wonderful too. Ragland |
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| December 02, 2007 |
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Arlene, maybe there is a difference between simply knowing who God is (faithful, loving, nurturing, AND righteous, holy, perfect judge, etc.) and who God is to you! Someone once illustrated this point using JFK Jr. His daddy was the President of the US, the most powerful man in the world. JFK Sr. had the power to make war, with terrible weaponry at his disposal. JFK Jr. knew him simply as "daddy", and would run into the Oval Office and jump into his daddy's lap, oblivious to the armed Secret Service agents and other diplomats and dignitaries. Of course, I'll bet JFK Jr. feared his daddy's spankings, but that wasn't the basis of Jr.'s relationship with daddy.
It's a pretty good analogy, though not perfect. Like JFK Jr., we have a Daddy with terrible and awesome powers. But that isn't the basis of his relationship with us. To us he really is love. But we mustn't make the mistake of thinking that's all God is. I hope this helps illustrate the blog a little better. :-)
Ragland, I get so excited when I read comments like yours! Makes me really feel as though God is writing through me. If I am writing truth, it's because of him.
Thank you MaKelly, Coreena, and Cheryl for your comments!
Jen, I think you've said it far better than I ever could: "Out of the knowledge of this - a God worthy of fearing - comes great security." Man that's awesome! |
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| December 02, 2007 |
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| ps.... Arlene, another thought. When I'm praising God, the appreciation, the intense gratitude, wells up from deep within. That God is so powerful, fearful, and just, yet he would sacrifice his Son so I could be with him always - this is the aspect of his love that blows me away whenever I stop and think about it. Thanks for your questions, I really enjoy thinking them. |
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| December 02, 2007 |
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| btw: MIke, you make great sense. . . . |
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| December 02, 2007 |
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I have feared greatly in my life...and He Saved me. I was basically abandoned by my earthly father so I had a real problem believing that God would stick with me...or that He even cared. He has done mighty things in my life. I went through a terrible ordeal last week. I truthfully believe that he is with me still, no matter what.
He saved my soul from death! I would not even be here if it were not for Him in my life. He understands my insecurities and He loves me anyways. I am learning that if I do not feel it I keep standing on it, and eventually He works it all out.
Thanks for this blog!
Cathy. |
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| December 02, 2007 |
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| Many Good points to ponder. Another thing to fear is that The LORD tells us to obey him out of trust and love. I think like you said if I'm reading this right the three go hand in hand. Hopefully we'll use that fear to choose who to serve. Boy this was gonna be a much better comment when I started typing. |
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| December 02, 2007 |
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hehe...Dave, sounds like you may have lost your train of thought as you typed... I know, I've done it often myself. I usually just delete the whole comment. I admire you for leaving your imprint, disjointed as it might seem to you!
Cathy (Forgiven), I've written a lot of blogs from the other side of things too, the "love" side. With this blog I wanted to do something different, to show that fear and joy really do go hand in hand. Yes, God has indeed done some "terrible" things. But he's also given us every reason to trust him, to believe in him! And to love him.
Arlene, it blows me away to think that to God we are worth it. We need to think that way. |
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| December 04, 2007 |
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Thanks again for bringing up this concept, Mike. We have gone from an "Angry God" to a "milk toast one" in this day and age. In an attempt to make God more along the lines of "Grace" we sometimes go overboard and forget that he is all-powerful and all-knowing. A healthy fear (and yes, respect) is appropriate when you consider the possibilities (and eventualities). |
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| December 13, 2007 |
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| Thanks for the comment Rachel! I think that's a valid concern. I believe it's best remedied not by telling them there's nothing to fear from God, but by highlighting God's amazing promises to those who believe and yes, do. (The Bible really doesn't offer the wayward backslidden Christian much in the way of assurances.) |
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| October 16, 2008 |
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| Mike ~ Nice job on this piece. You and I still have Hope! Thank you for being the kind of man you are. I still appreciate you, Bro.... even amidst the present struggle. |
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