By Dr. Michael Weis
“The fear of man brings a snare, but one who trusts in the LORD will be protected” (Proverbs 29:25).
2 Types of Fear
The Book of Proverbs was written by King Solomon and compiled later by King Hezekiah.
It is classified among the “Wisdom Literature” in Scripture (along with Job, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon) and gives us principles – but not necessarily promises – to live by in the various challenges of life.
The content of Proverbs was originally communicated by God to Solomon to write down, as recorded for us today. Proverbs 29, from which our verse of study is taken, says much about the contrast between fearing man and trusting – or “fearing” – God.
This “fear,” or “reverence,” of God is one of the major themes of the Book of Proverbs. In this regard, humanity generally falls into two categories: those who fear God, and those who fear man.
Verse 25 tells us that the fear of man “brings a snare.” What does this mean? A snare is a trap that captures its prey which it can’t get out of. Think of a snare as a cage or being tied hand and foot – something immovable. This is what fearing man does.
This fear is manifested in many ways:
1. We fear what our peers think of us.
2. We fear that someone may perceive us the wrong way.
3. Fear causes us to follow the crowd so we will “fit in.”
4. We refrain from telling people the truth or setting our boundaries lest we “hurt their feelings.”
5. We fear we won’t have all the answers.
6. We fear we may fail or disappoint ourselves or others.
7. We fear being hurt by others.
There are many more ways in fear plays itself out, and my purpose is not to get into their cause, but to state their danger.
Consequences
The consequences of “fearing man” are even more devastating. These include:
1. If we fear what others think about us, we will compromise our principles and say things we wouldn’t normally say, or do things we wouldn’t normally do. Some will drink, take drugs, or date people they shouldn’t, or compromise their integrity other ways.
2. If we fear hurting people’s feelings, we almost always get angry with them when they take advantage of us or cross our boundaries (because they don’t know what those boundaries are).
3. If we fear failure, we will never try anything new or difficult, but remain discouraged and wonder why nothing ever changes in both our physical and spiritual lives.
4. If we fear being hurt by others, we will never learn how to be loved or learn how to love.
How to Change
How do we stop fearing man?
We do so by trusting in the Lord, as the text says. We fear, or reverence, Him. We learn who He is, learn the truth about His Word and His character, rely upon His promises, and walk by faith and not by sight.
An old saying goes something like this: “The fear of man will keep you from the fear of the Lord, and the fear of the Lord will keep you from the fear of man.”
This is so true! Living lives in the fear of man is to create a life of insecurity and failure. The fear of man defies faith in God. The fear of man keeps us from experiencing the love of God.
The fear of man is a deception, and the only way to overcome it is to:
1. Learn the truth of who God is.
2. Learn what He says about our condition as frail mortals.
3. Repent.
4. Set boundaries.
5. Live the Christian life by His grace.
Doing these things will help you wean myself off of the fear of man, and teach you how to fear God alone.
We should be grateful that the prophets and apostles feared God and not man. We should be grateful that those who have died for the faith and continue to do so didn’t and don’t fear man, but feared and fear God.
May God grant the grace to fear Him – and Him alone!
Dr. Michael Weis is a pastor, video operator, editor, and social media manager at Zion’s Hope.
Zion's Hope 