Fear of Man or Trust in God

The other day I was reading in Exodus about Moses. Most of us have grown up hearing the story of bravery, heroism, and righteousness. Truly Moses was a great patriarch in our faith. He was a man of God and was a vessel used in many miraculous ways. However, I was a little stunned at the revelation I saw in the scriptures when I read these passages again. Exodus 3:2-4... "Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So, Moses thought, 'I will go over and see this strange sight- why the bush does not burn up.' When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, 'Moses! Moses!' And Moses said, 'Here I am.'" Moses was obviously brave. He didn't turn and run when the voice from the bush spoke. He didn't douse it with water when it was on fire. He simply said, "Here I am". I think Moses had enough of a history and relationship with God to know whom he was speaking to. In the continuing verses God and Moses continue a dialog. It seems Moses wasn't ready to just say, "Yes God, I will go" but His trust in God was also very great so he didn't say, "No" either. Further on in the chapter Moses asks God, "What if they don't believe me?" So God proceeds to show Moses several signs.

The first sign is in Chapter 4 beginning in verse 2. "God said, 'What is in your hand?', 'A staff' [Moses] replied. The Lord said, 'Throw it on the ground.' Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake and he ran from it. Then the Lord said to him, 'Reach out and take it by the tail.' So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand." Obviously Moses trusted God enough to reach out and grab a snake by the tail, one that he had just run away in fear from. That's a lot of trust!

God then told Moses to put his hand inside his cloak. Moses did and when he pulled it out it was covered with leprosy, one of the most devastating and worst diseases in that day. God told him to put his hand back into his cloak. Moses did and his hand was healed. Obviously Moses trusted God to heal him of the greatest incurable disease of his time.

But as we read on Moses starts to get nervous. Even after God showed him signs and wonders. Even after God told him the complete plan. Even after God said, "I Am the I Am". Even after God said, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord?" (Exodus 4:11). Moses' response is, "...please send someone else to do it." This is where we see Moses' weakness. His fear of man.

Moses' fear of man outweighed his trust in God. When it was just Moses and God, Moses seemed to have limitless faith to obey and trust. But as soon as God mentioned speaking in front of a powerful man, Moses became weak and scared. This made me think about my own faith. When it's just God and me in the quiet, safe places, my faith seems to grow and I feel strong and confident but as soon I leave that place and go out into the world I see myself growing fearful. "What will they think?", "How will they respond?". "What if they reject me?", "Do I really have the answers to their questions?", "What if I don't know what to say?", "What if they say something that hurts me?". All of these questions represent a fear of man.

Proverbs 29:25 says, "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe." The fear of man seeps into our lives in every area, in every facet of our lives. It doesn't just apply to witnessing or talking to others. It is in our behavior, our thoughts, our relationships. All of us have a line where our trust in God diminishes and our fear of man takes over. Where is the line in your life?