Fear
Elijah Flees From Jezebel
Jezebel had not been on Mount Carmel and only heard what her husband reported to her (vv. 1-5). Elijah’s treatment of her prophets made her very angry, so she sent a message to him that she was going to kill him within 24 hours in retaliation for his slaughtering of the 4 …
Joseph’s Promise to His Brothers And His Death
John Phillips in his book EXPLORING GENESIS says this about the book of Genesis. It begins with creation and ends with a coffin. It begins with glory and ends with a grave. It begins with the vastness of eternity and ends with the shortness of time. It begins with the living God …
David’s Last Words
The list of David’s mighty men is preceded by a short poem (vv. 1-7) titled the last words of David. In the first stanza (v. 1) he identified himself as “the son of Jesse,” a peasant farmer in Bethlehem. David was never ashamed of that, as God lifted him “ …
The Lord Caused Confusion Among The Enemy
The Spirit of the Lord came on the Levite Jahaziel, after Jehoshaphat’s moving prayer, and he speaks to the congregation (v. 14). He tells them twice to not be afraid and that the battle was not their’s but God’s (vv. 15-17). Then Jehoshaphat and all Judah and the inhabitants …
Who is on the Lord’s Side?
Israel gathered 32,000 troops at a spring called Hard at the foot of Mt. Gilboa (v. 1). However, the Lord objected to this number and commanded Gideon to send those who were afraid back home which amounted to two thirds of the men (vv. 2-3). Again, the Lord objected to the size of Gideon’s …
Hardened Hearts and the Fear of Man
In this passage, there were those who would not believe and there were those who would not openly confess Christ even though they had believed. The first group, despite all Jesus’ miraculous signs, still would not believe in Him (vv. 37-38). This rejection had been prophesied by Isaiah …
Jesus Calms Their Fears
In the evening following the feeding of the 5000, the disciples got into a boat and left Jesus behind while they began to row toward Capernaum (vv. 16-17). As it became dark, a strong wind was blowing them off course (v. 18). Suddenly, to their amazement, they saw Jesus not far from the …
Is it Information or Truth That You Want?
Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah again and met him in secret at the entrance to the temple (vv. 14-16). Zedekiah wanted to ask Jeremiah something, and he told the prophet not to hide anything from him. Jeremiah said, if he did answer with a message the king did not want to hear he had …
Nehemiah Was Fearful of What Others Think
As Nehemiah was going about his usual duties the king noticed that he was sad and asked, “Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick.” (vv. 1-2) At first Nehemiah was frightened because it was dangerous to show sorrow before the king who could execute anyone w …
The Fear of The Lord
This psalm enumerates some of the blessings enjoyed by a person who fears (reverences) the Lord. Then it anticipates the exaltation of the righteous and grievous destruction of the wicked. However, we must not conclude based on this psalm that all believers today can claim health, wealth, success, …