The Great Transfer of Fear Text: Proverbs 29:25
Introduction: The World's Opinion Page
We live in a world that is drowning in opinions. Every man has a microphone, every thought has a platform, and every feeling has a right to be heard. The digital realm has created a pantheon of tiny gods, each one demanding that you bow, that you approve, that you "like," and that you do not offend. And the church, which is supposed to be a rock in this sea of emotional chaos, has too often become a cork, bobbing along with every wave of public sentiment. Christians are terrified. They are terrified of being cancelled, terrified of being called a bigot, terrified of being on the wrong side of history, and terrified of what their unbelieving neighbor might think of them.
This is what the book of Proverbs calls the fear of man. And it is not a small thing. It is not a minor character flaw or a slight personality quirk. The Bible tells us in no uncertain terms that it is a snare. It is a trap, a noose, a pitfall that the devil has set for the saints. It is a spiritual device designed to trip you up, shut you up, and bind you up. It promises safety through conformity but delivers only bondage. It promises acceptance but gives you chains. The fear of man is the quivering, anxious desire to have man's approval, and the corresponding terror of man's disapproval.
This proverb sets before us a stark and non-negotiable choice. It presents two masters, two foundations, two ultimate reference points for your life. You can either live before the face of man, or you can live before the face of God. You can tremble before the shifting opinions of a fallen and rebellious world, or you can trust in the unshakable, sovereign Lord of heaven and earth. One path leads to a snare, a trap that will entangle your conscience and neutralize your witness. The other leads to a high tower of safety, a place of security and elevation that cannot be touched by the chaos below. This is a worldview issue, down to the very root. Who are you trying to please? Whose verdict matters? Who is your ultimate audience? The answer to that question will determine whether you spend your life in a trap or in a fortress.
The Text
Trembling before man brings a snare,
But he who trusts in Yahweh will be set securely on high.
(Proverbs 29:25 LSB)
The Snare of Trembling (v. 25a)
The first clause of this proverb lays out the diagnosis, and it is a grim one.
"Trembling before man brings a snare..." (Proverbs 29:25a)
The word for "trembling" here is not a mild concern. It is a quaking, a dread, a terror. It is the posture of a slave before a tyrant. This is the state of a man whose center of gravity is located outside of himself, in the opinions of other men. He has outsourced his stability. His emotional and spiritual well being is dependent on the fickle and ever changing whims of the crowd. This is the man who checks the room before he speaks the truth. This is the pastor who preaches sermons that are meticulously engineered to not offend the big tithers. This is the Christian who remains silent when his coworkers mock the things of God.
And the result of this trembling is a "snare." A snare is a trap. Think of a rabbit caught in a wire loop. The more it struggles, the tighter the noose becomes. This is a perfect picture of the fear of man. When you make human approval your idol, you are immediately entangled. You want to please one group, but in doing so, you offend another. So you try to placate the second group, and in the process, you contradict what you said to the first. You become a shape shifter, a spiritual contortionist, twisting yourself into whatever shape is required to keep everyone happy. But you cannot do it. You end up trapped in a web of your own compromises, unable to move, unable to speak with a clear conscience.
This snare is the very essence of idolatry. You have taken a creature, man, and have given him the honor and authority that belongs to God alone. You have made man your functional god. You fear his wrath, you crave his blessing, and you obey his commands, even when they contradict the commands of the true God. This is precisely what Adam did in the garden. He listened to the voice of his wife, and feared being alone, more than he feared God. It is what Saul did when he spared Agag and the best of the sheep because he "feared the people and obeyed their voice" (1 Samuel 15:24). It is what Peter did when he denied Christ before a servant girl. The fear of man turns brave men into cowards.
The Fortress of Trust (v. 25b)
But the proverb does not leave us in the snare. It shows us the way out. It presents the only viable alternative, the divine remedy.
"But he who trusts in Yahweh will be set securely on high." (Proverbs 29:25b LSB)
The contrast is absolute. On the one hand, you have trembling before man, which leads to a low, entangled place, a snare. On the other hand, you have trust in Yahweh, which leads to a high, secure place, a fortress. The solution to the fear of man is not to try to be more brave in your own strength. The solution is a radical transfer of trust. It is to stop trusting in the flimsy, unreliable approval of men, and to start trusting in the sovereign, all-powerful, and good God of the Bible.
To trust in Yahweh means to believe that what He says about you is more true than what any man says about you. It means to believe that His smile is worth more than the applause of the entire world, and His frown is more to be feared than their collective rage. It means resting in His absolute sovereignty. The man who trusts in Yahweh knows that no one can touch him, cancel him, or ruin him apart from the express permission of his Heavenly Father. He knows that men are but dust, and their threats are but the rattling of dry leaves in the wind. As the psalmist says, "In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Psalm 56:11).
And the result of this trust is to be "set securely on high." This is the picture of a man in a mountain fortress, looking down on the chaos of the valley below. He is not untouched by the battle, but he is untouchable. His position is secure. He is safe. This is not a promise of a life free from conflict. The man who fears God will often find himself in conflict with the world. But it is a promise of ultimate security in the midst of that conflict. The world can rage, but it cannot reach you in that high tower. Your life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). What higher place could there be?
From Snare to Fortress
This proverb, like all of Proverbs, is not just a piece of folksy wisdom. It is a signpost that points us directly to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate embodiment of this truth. Jesus lived his entire life without the fear of man. He spoke the truth to the Pharisees, knowing it would lead to his death. He did not trim his message to suit the crowds. He lived for an audience of One. He trusted His Father completely, even to the point of death on a cross.
And because He trusted Yahweh, He was "set securely on high." After His death and burial, God raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion" (Ephesians 1:21). He is in the ultimate high tower, the ultimate place of security and authority.
The gospel is the great exchange. On the cross, Jesus entered into the ultimate snare for us. He bore the curse and the wrath that our idolatrous fear of man deserved. He was entangled in our sin so that we could be set free. And now, by faith, we are united to Him. We are taken out of the snare and placed with Him in that high tower. Our security is not in our own ability to be courageous, but in our position in Christ.
Therefore, the fight against the fear of man is not a matter of moral self-improvement. It is a matter of faith. It is a matter of daily remembering who you are in Christ. You are accepted, you are loved, you are secure, not because of what men think of you, but because of what God has done for you in His Son. When you are tempted to tremble before the opinion of man, you must preach the gospel to yourself. Remind yourself that the ultimate verdict is already in. God is for you, so who can be against you? (Romans 8:31). This is the great transfer of fear. We are to stop fearing what man can do to us, and start fearing God, which is the beginning of wisdom. And that righteous fear, paradoxically, casts out all other fears. When you fear God properly, you need fear nothing else.