Fear Motivates to Failure

“And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.” (Ge 34:30 AV)

Fear is a strong emotion.  Fear is a strong emotion that motivates us to action.  Sometimes, that action is good.  Sometimes it is not.  In this case, Jacob allowed his fear to hinder him from what his sons were willing to do.  A little background here might help.  Jacob had one daughter.  After the LORD answers Jacob’s concern with Esua, they moved to Shechem.  The king’s son had relations with Dinah and kept her in his tent without taking her to wife.  This demanded a response.  Jacob did nothing because of the concern mentioned above.  He was too afraid he would be an enemy of all those around him.  His fears are not without some merit.  Jacob was small when compared to the nations around him.  He had eleven sons and a handful of servants.  Comparing to Esau alone, who had four hundred servants, Jacob was as of yet, a great nation.  However, what Jacob had that no other nation had was the promise of God’s hand upon him.  His fear of those around him were unfounded when compared to the promise of God.

We can criticize Jacob, but we would probably do the same thing.  If faced with insurmountable odds, we might be tempted to compromise and let it go.  If faced with potential enemies that clearly have the advantage, we might be tempted to let things slide.  Fear, as strong as it is, is an emotion that often leads to compromise.  There is a movie produced by Bob Jones University that I vaguely remember.  There is one part that I remember clearly.  I believe the name of the movie is The Printing.  I cannot remember the whole story line, but I do remember a comparison between one church and pastor with another.  The first refused to baptize converts lest the government persecute them into non-existence.  The other had faith God would protect them and baptized new believers.  It was a little more involved than mere baptism, but the story emphasized those who lived in fear and compromised as a result, and those who did not.

We have many fears.  As I get older, the fear of being alone is a real one.  My three sons and their families all live hours away.  Who will take care of me if I am unable to do so myself?  Parents are afraid of losing their relationships with their kids.  Men are afraid of losing their abilities as they age.  We can be afraid of the weather.  We can be afraid of armed criminals entering our homes.  We can be afraid of a lot of things and taking steps to minimize those fears is wise.  What is not wise is compromising our faith and walk with God because of fears which we cannot control.  I would be wrong to give up my calling to be with my son so that he could eventually take care of me.  I would be wrong to compromise the word of God so that my child would love me.  I would be wrong to over medicate trying to be twenty again.  I would be wrong to allow the weather to be the defining factor in service to God.  I would be wrong to stay locked up inside and refuse to engage a public with the gospel of Christ simply because one of them might do me harm.  Jacob was afraid.  This fear led to the compromise of his daughter’s honor.  What is fear causing you to surrender?