“Their Fear”

Isaiah 8

11 For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,

12 Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.

13 Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

15 And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.

16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

17 And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.

18 Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.

19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?

20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

21 And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.

22 And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.

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First a couple of notes —

From The New Living Translation Study Bible

“This text reveals the heart of Isaiah’s message. The issue was fear of the Lord versus fear of people. When an individual fears people, the Lord becomes a trap and, destruction is certain. For those who fear the Lord, He becomes a sanctuary, their salvation is assured.”

From Matthew Henry Complete Commentary

“Note,

“(1.) There is a proneness in the best of men to be frightened at threatening clouds, especially when fears are epidemic. We are all too apt to walk in the way of the people we live among, though it be not a good way.

“(2.) Those whom God loves and owns he will instruct and enable to swim against the stream of common corruptions, particularly of common fears. He will find ways to teach his own people not to walk in the way of other people, but in a sober singularity.

“(3.) Corruption is sometimes so active in the hearts even of good men that they have need to be taught their duty with a strong hand, and it is God’s prerogative to teach so, for he only can give an understanding and overpower the contradiction of unbelief and prejudice. He can teach the heart; and herein none teaches like him.

“(4.) Those that are to teach others have need to be themselves well instructed in their duty, and then they teach most powerfully when they teach experimentally. The word that comes from the heart is most likely to reach to the heart; and what we are ourselves by the grace of God instructed in we should, as we are able, teach others also.”

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Anybody feeling a little afraid, a little fearful lately … even just a little?

I know … we all think we’d slay Goliath, right? That’s OK and that’s good. But which of us would be first in line to take our chance to win the prize for cutting off Goliath’s head? Wait … I’m beginning to have second thoughts about this!!

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Fear is a powerful motivator and/or suppressor. Our fears, correctly channeled, can help us to overcome the daunting obstacles in front of us. But, I think we’re all too aware of how our fears, incorrectly channeled, cause us to shut down to a slow paralysis.

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Generally speaking there are two aspects to our fears:

*Those that come from within. These are our own personal struggles and hangups that dog us either frequently or infrequently. But these are peculiar to us, our idiosyncrasies if you please.

*Those that come from without. These are the fears and anxieties placed upon us by others. They are outside circumstances beyond our purview or control. They are wrapped and encased in unknowns and uncertainties in order to heighten responses.

Both are very real.

The outcome depends on how well we’re fortified ahead of time, how well our defenses are shored up, how well we’re strengthened by our walk with God.

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We are presently experiencing very real and powerful fears that are being placed upon us, loaded upon us, by “the others” that seek to control and manipulate toward their own desired ends.

It is a specifically well-thought out, well-engineered, well-implemented strategy tactic — such as the Devil would support and empower.

It’s sort of like …

The playground bully picking on the weak kid in order to establish dominance while falsely portraying himself as brave, strong and powerful. In reality though, he’s the biggest coward on the playground. He just needs to be taken down a few notches by someone not afraid to challenge and confront him.

Would that be you, would that be me?

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We’re told in the passage before us that God’s people are to “neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.”

That means a couple of things:

*We’re not to take on their fears. It’s “their fear”. We don’t have to make it ours and we don’t have to let them put it upon us. We are to resist, fight back, challenge, confront.

*We’re to comprehend, with confidence and assurance, that they fear us. They come across brave and powerful, but they’re cowards — and they know it.

How so?

They need an external-group power source to empower and embolden them to act when otherwise they wouldn’t or couldn’t. Most of these imposers-upon-others-types are small people trying to prove they are bigger then they really are.

Just like …

America’s new little man. The revised and repackaged version of the Nazi Reich Minister Of Propaganda. The resemblance is too similar to ignore.

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Strong secure people don’t have to push by force, they lead by example.

And since these people don’t have much internal character of their own to offer, they rely upon coercion through fear and intimidation.

They are pretenders, well-paid actors and actresses, performing a written script with specific goals and agendas — all for their benefit and profit.

I’m supposing you’re not one of the newly-made billionaires??

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Notice a contrast presented by the Bible to embolden us.

Proverbs 28

1 The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.

2 For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.

3 A poor man that oppresseth the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.

4 They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.

5 Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the Lord understand all things.

We, the believers in Messiah, have the upper hand. We are the strong ones. We have understanding and knowledge. Not only that, we understand all things because we have the LORD, whom we fear above all else, as our help and defense. (Psalm 89:18)

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A few things, in closing, for us all to ponder and be encouraged by:

*We don’t have to succumb to our fears.

*We don’t have to take on, be overwhelmed by, the fear others use to confine, manipulate and enslave us.

*We can do as Ephesians 6 implores us to do: Stand strong in the Lord.

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

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Our lion-like qualities may lie somewhat dormant at times, that’s true. But through the power of the Lord we, His children, are a force to be reckoned with. We have the Almighty, All Powerful Lord of Heaven’s Armies in us and with us.

And may we never forget that the fear of man brings a snare but against that we can do all things through Messiah that strengthen us.

Let’s go forward in His strength and not cower under “Their Fear”.

Trow-Amen!