“The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.”
-Proverbs 29:25
The fear of man is like a snare because if I repeatedly give in to the opinion of others in order to please them, I forfeit my own convictions and preferences. And this kind of laying down my life is not a loving kind (as Jesus suggests in John 15:13 ), but a selfish one. It is designed to win the favor of others, but it is a false win. If people like me because I bend over backward to please them, it is a lie because what they like is not me, but a fabricated version of me that I think they would like.
This verse contrasts fear of man with the safety of trusting in the Lord. This suggests that what fear of man wants is to find refuge in the eyes and opinions of others. Yet it makes very clear that such safety and security of identity is found in trusting the Lord. Trust in what others think is a trap that keeps you in an endless cycle of trial and error, success and failure. It is a never-ending battle to make it to the inner circle of which we deem worthy to be part.
This verse screams out “You have a perfect identity as one beloved of God! You need not do anything else! You need not be other than that which you are in Christ! He is your refuge and strength! He is the rock upon which the foundation of who you truly are is laid. Don’t build your life out of the flimsy materials of the opinions of your peers! Take up the truth and rejoice in the reality of who you are in Christ Jesus! You are not great! You are not mighty. You are not beautiful or smart or wealthy – EXCEPT as you stand in Christ, a new creature, a re-created worshipper, a son of the most High God!”
That is true safety worth trusting in!
Cameron Lockey 