Fear Not Man
Isaiah 41:10: Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Psalms 118:6: The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
Romans 8:31: What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Matthew 10:28: And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Isaiah 54:17: No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
This devotional entitled The Fear of Man was written by Evangelist Wil Rice on Isaiah 51:12: I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass.
Isn*t it amazing how frightened we can be of people? We fear what they think, we fear what they say, and we fear what they will do. So many times we live in fear of other people more than we realize, yet that is backwards. To the extent that we fear and reverence God, we need not fear people.
In Isaiah 51, God is speaking to His people Israel. They had been and would be punished by the fierce Babylonians and other empires, and they had leaned on empires like Egypt. God said of Egypt, *They are just flesh. You are seeking help from Egypt instead of seeking help from God Almighty.* Yet, Israel feared men, they trusted men, and they forgot God.
Notice what God says. He says, *I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; and forgettest the LORD thy maker.* Sometimes we think that we have no right to seek God*s comfort or courage, yet we have that turned around. It is not being presumptuous to seek grace from God; it is presumptuous to live in fear of man when we serve the God Who made man.
In the first place, God made a nation out of a barren couple. God said, *Seek the LORD,* and *Look unto Abraham* as an example. Abraham was alone, but God increased him into a great nation. A God Who can make an entire nation out of a barren couple is certainly worthy of your dependence.
God is the One Who created this world and will make a new one again. Verse 6 says, *Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath.* Israel had forgotten their Maker and feared their oppressor, but God is the One Who stretched out the heavens and earth and laid their foundations. God told Israel, *Look, if I can make the earth, I can take care of you. It is presumptuous to fear men when I am the One Who made them.*
God is the One Who made the law. God*s law and my salvation shall be forever in contrast to fearing the reproach of men who will be eaten up like a moth eats up a threadbare coat. God*s righteousness will be forever.
God is the One Who brought Israel out of Egypt, and would bring them out of Babylon. God is the One *who dried the sea… he made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over.* In verse 15 He says, *But I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is his name.*
You need not fear men when you serve God. It is not presumptuous to seek God*s help. It is presumptuous to refuse it.
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