Fear

Genesis 12:10-20

Fear:

The Bible describes two kinds of fear: healthy and unhealthy. The first is fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7 ). The second is fear of man, in which we see Abram fearing the Pharaoh and devising a scheme with his wife Sarai. I can relate to Abram's fear of men. Some opportunities will arise in our lives when we will either trust God or fear men. But we see how Abram feared the famine and did not trust God.

Proverbs 1:7 ESV

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Have any of you ever been called somewhere or promised something from God? Maybe it was a job or even a different city. When you arrived, things were not working out as you intended, and pressure started to mount up. Remember, one of the symptoms of depression is fear. You begin to think it would be best to take matters into your own hands and out of God’s. Abram and you are in the same boat.

Let us look at Abram’s first unhealthy fear, which will become a disaster.

Unhealthy Fear:

Abram was called out of the land of his fathers, Ur. Listen to God’s words to Abram in verses 1-3. Genesis 12:1-3

Genesis 12:1–3 ESV

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

God promised Abram that he would make him a great nation. Do you think God would allow famine to harm Abram and his wife? Abram flees the famine and heads to Egypt, a place that will become a misery for his descendants. Unhealthy fear starts with not trusting God, especially in His promises. God is not like a man; Numbers 23:19

Numbers 23:19 ESV

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

If God promised Abram that He would make him a great nation, should he have feared the famine? No! We should not fear an election, the economy, or man since God has told us 365 times not to fear. Abram not only fears the famine, but he also fears Pharaoh.

Abram and Sarai arrive at the entrance of Egypt, and he tells her to lie to him. Abram fears the Egyptians so much that he convinces his wife to lie and give her up to them. Fear cripples us in our thinking and our resolve to trust in God. Abram had an opportunity to go back but decided to walk through the entrance into Egypt and deception.

God always gives us a way out, James 4:7

James 4:7 ESV

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Submitting to God is having a healthy fear of the Lord and resisting the fear of evil. We see a healthy fear of the Lord by the Pharaoh, not the one whom God called.

Healthy Fear:

The Lord plagued Pharaoh over Sarai. Let me say this: the Lord always cares for us, even when we don’t deserve it. Abram and Sarai both partook in this deception, but the Lord promised to make Abram make a great nation through his wife, and no man would stand in the way of God’s plan. When God promises you, nothing will stop His promise, including you.

Pharaoh feared the Lord and gave Sarai back to Abram. Because Pharaoh feared the Lord, he knew who and what was wrong. He also knew by the plagues that the Lord is not someone you ignore. Abram ignored the promise and allowed fear into his life; Pharaoh feared the Lord, not man. Psalm 102:15 Matthew 10:28

Psalm 102:15 ESV

Nations will fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth will fear your glory.

Matthew 10:28 ESV

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Fear can overwhelm you and cause you to run from the One who loves you, Christ. Some of us have done wrong and have allowed the lie of the enemy to cause us to fear our Father in Heaven. There should be a fear of sinning against God, but we have the Blood of Christ on us to cry out to our Father to help us. Trusting God and leaning on His promise keeps us from an unhealthy fear. Jeremiah 29:10-11

Jeremiah 29:10–11 ESV

“For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.