Many people in the bible when confronted with either God or one of his heavenly messengers, were afraid. This tells us their appearance must have been other worldly. In other words, something no one this side of heaven had ever seen before. We all struggle when facing the unknown or something unfamiliar to us. Sometimes we react in shock and wonder, and other times we are awestruck and afraid. Once the visitation reveals the true intent of the messenger the peoples fear tends to subside.
In Genesis 15:1 Abram was told the following: “...the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.” This implies that Abram was afraid.
In Numbers 21:34 Moses experienced fear regarding a potential attack from King Og of Bashan, to which the Lord replied: “Do not be afraid of him, for I have handed him over to you, along with all his people and his land.”
Joshua was apprehensive about going to battle with the army of Ai, but in Joshua 8:1 the Lord advised him: “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take all your fighting men and attack Ai, for I have given you the king of Ai, his people, his town, and his land.”
In Lamentations 3:57, the Prophet Jeremiah cried out to the Lord and his reply was simply, “Do not fear!” Daniel was told the following when confronted by an angel of the Lord in Daniel 10:4-12 “... as I was standing on the bank of the great Tigris River, I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist. His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice roared like a vast multitude of people.
Only I, Daniel, saw this vision. The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide. So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak. Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground.
Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling.
Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer.”
In Luke 1:13 Zechariah was visited by an angel who said: “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.”
Mary had an angelic visitation in Luke 1:30 ... “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!
Shepherds in the fields also had an angelic visitation ... “the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.’”
Peter, in Luke 2:10, had an encounter with Jesus ... “His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon (Peter), ‘Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!’”
In Acts 27:23-24, the apostle Paul may have been apprehensive of the impending trial before Caesar, Rome’s Emperor, however, the Lord sent an angel to quell his apprehension with these words: “For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’”
The apostle John, banished to Patmos, was visited by what would seem to be the Lord Jesus himself due to the way he introduced himself to John. “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.”
Did you notice that every message from heaven began with DO NOT FEAR or DON’T BE AFRAID. This lends credence to the notion that all parties were fearful when confronted by an other worldly presence, such as an angel or the Lord himself. Daniel’s example is the only one that described the messenger’s appearance. Visualize for a moment the picture Daniel painted to understand why fear was the peoples initial response. How would you react?
From the examples given today I think it is clear that God has everything under control and always will. His message to you today is that no matter what circumstances you find yourself, God doesn’t want you to give in to fear, for he is in our omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent God. He knows all that can be known, is all places at the same time and more powerful than all the worldly forces combined. So do not be afraid of anything, because God is with you and IN you always by his spirit.
Up next is a spotlight on Simeon & Anna, prophet & prophetess, found in Luke’s gospel. Until then, walk with the King and be a blessing,
In His name & for His glory,
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
Resource: The Life Application Study Bible
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