The snare of man-fearing

What does the fear of man look like most often for you?

Nobody likes to be caught in a trap, and that’s why “snare” is an effective word choice when Scripture speaks of the love of money (1 Tim. 6:9), idols (Ps. 106:36), and foolish lips (Prov. 18:7). In Proverbs 29:25, Solomon warns us of another trap: “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.”

The fear of man is a common struggle, and many of us probably encounter it regularly in our thoughts, emotions, and actions. What does the fear of man look like most often for you? Are you sitting silently in the lunchroom at work while surrounded by unbelieving coworkers? Strategically avoiding the crowded fellowship hall after church? Are you lying awake in bed while your mind pesters you with replays of the day’s interactions (or the potential of tomorrow’s)? Solomon’s words remind us that the fear of man is not simply an unwelcome friend to put up with but rather a dangerous trap that we ought to steer clear of.

Consider two different images that help us understand how the fear of man is indeed a trap. When we think of a mouse trap, one of the first images that comes to mind is a piece of cheese. Why? Because we often catch the unwelcome intruders most successfully when we lure them with something they want. The typical nature of a trap is to entice the victim by disguising danger and destruction as attractive and beneficial. Likewise, the fear of man promises us something that it doesn’t actually deliver. It tells us that if we act on our fears by speaking flattery, staying silent, rejecting opportunities, embellishing facts, or flat-out avoiding people, we’ll have less control over what others think of us. And that mirage of control promises the peace of safety and self-preservation. Let us not be deceived. If we are walking in the fleshly fear of man, we are not walking in Spirit-wrought fear of God. Only the latter will bring the peace that our restless hearts desire.

The second image is of a net that suddenly swoops down to capture an unsuspecting passerby. It doesn’t necessarily destroy the victim, but it certainly keeps him from getting where he needs to go. In the same way, the fear of man paralyzes us from a life of sincere love and service. When we walk in the fear of man, it is as if we are imprisoned in a net or tied to a tree with our hands behind our backs. There are good works that the Lord has “prepared beforehand” for us to walk in (Eph. 2:10), but the fear of man makes us so consumed with self that our lips don’t move, our hands don’t open, and our feet don’t walk.

The fear of man is a dangerous trap, “but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe"—unfettered and roaming freely in the steadfast love of God, which is ours in Christ Jesus, and then boldly extending that love to others.

Article by Tessa Thompson / Tabletalk Magazine

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TESSA THOMPSON is the author of Laughing at the Days to Come: Facing Present Trials and Future Uncertainties with Gospel Hope.