What About Fear?
By Jonathan Mitchell
This short essay will not attempt an exhaustive investigation into this large Scriptural, and psychological, topic, but will rather simply lay out a few observations about the topic of fear, which is found from Genesis to Revelation. There are uses of the noun and the verb which appear in a negative context, and there are uses which are construed to be positive, and proper.
Since there are different Hebrew words which the common versions, such as the KJV, render by the same English word, "fear," this study will follow the LXX (Greek translation of the OT) where it uses the verb phobeo and the noun phobos. This will correlate OT occurrences of the same Greek words with their occurrences in the NT.
The semantic range of the verb is: be afraid; become frightened; be alarmed or anxious; fear; have respect for; have or show reverence; be fearfully impressed; be reluctant; to scruple. The uses of the noun are derived from the range of the verb, but can also include: astonishment; amazement; reverential fear; awe; deference; terror; dread. Obviously, the context must affect our understanding of an author's use of the term, and thus, the proper nuance which we should perceive from the text.
Fear first comes on the scene in Gen. 3:10, when Adam responds to Yahweh,
"I heard the sound of You progressively (or: continuously; [cf Rev. 2:1]) walking around within the midst of this Paradise (or: in union with the orchard; in the sphere of the Garden) and I was made afraid and began to fear, because I am (or: exist being) naked, and so I hid myself" (LXX, JM).
As an aside: Why did being aware of his nakedness cause Adam to fear? Yahweh only asks him who told him about his being naked. Prior to eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam was unaware of his nakedness, and thus, apparently had no fear. Yahweh does not address the issue of Adam and Eve being naked - apparently this was how they were supposed to be; at least it seems not to be an issue for Yahweh. His question to Adam involved how Adam has become aware of his naked condition. The antidote to Adam's fear was Yahweh constructing skin clothing for them (the fig leaves were apparently inadequate, and perhaps the symbolism was that the leaf clothing was a product of their own work). Yahweh clothing them also prepared them for life outside of the Garden.
Other than God telling Noah that the animals and creatures would be afraid of him and his sons (Gen. 9:1), fear does not come into the text until 15:1, when a gush-effect (result of a flow; spoken word) came to be face-to-face with Abraham, in a vision, saying and laying it out,
"Stop fearing (or: Do not continue fearing, or habitually fear), Abram. I, Myself, am continuously your covering shield, constantly protecting and defending you; your reward will progressively be very great (exceedingly much)" (LXX, JM).
We can observe that fear was a part of Abram's life. We see that Lot experienced fear, in Gen. 19:30. Fear has continued to be a part of the human existence throughout the ages. We find this situation expressed in Heb. 2:15, where it speaks of,
"as many as were through all of this life held within slavery by a fear of death (or: in fear, from death: or: with fear, which is death)!"
We understand Jesus' words, in Mat. 10, to be referring to this fear of death, when He said:
28. "Stop being (or: Do not continue being [other MSS: You should not be]) made to fear from the one normally killing the body [e.g., an enemy; a murderer], and yet continuing unable (powerless) to be killing the soul (interior life; consciousness; or: = one's honor and reputation). But rather, be habitually fearing (or: continue wary of, with a healthy respect for) the person [e.g., a ruler] being constantly able and continuing with power to completely loose-away, ruin and destroy (or: to cause to be lost) both soul (the interior life; [note: may refer to the person's reputation in regard to character and other personal qualities]) as well as body within the Valley of Hinnom (Greek: Gehenna; Jerusalem's garbage dump: the place where criminals and folks with disgraced lives, and thus considered unfit for proper burial, were cast away; the disgraced end of an outcast or criminal [e.g., those crucified by the Romans]).
29. "Are not two sparrows normally sold for a penny (Roman copper coin of the smallest value)? And yet not one from among them will proceed falling upon the ground without (or: apart from) your Father!
[comment: a picture of immanence; union of God with creation]
30. "Now even the hairs of your head are all ones having been counted and numbered!
31. "Therefore, stop fearing (or: Then do not continue fearing or being afraid). You folks continuously carry on through so as to excel and be of more consequence than (be superior to and thus of more value than) whole flocks of sparrows!
We have concluded that the Judean leaders would have expected that, following His crucifixion, the dead body of Jesus would be cast into Gehenna, where most likely the bodies of the other two (who were on crosses with Him) would have ended up. We surmise that this would have, in their minds, sealed His reputation. Only the request for His body by Joseph of Arimathea prevented that from happening.
Now we see another side of "fear," which probably needs to be rendered, rather, as "respect" or "reverence," or, "awe." An example of this is found in Ps. 19:9,
"The reverence of [the] LORD (or: This respect with awe - this phobos - from [Yahweh]) [is] pure, constantly remaining throughout the midst, even unto the midst of [the] Age of [the] Age (or: with a view to an indefinite, but most important, period of time, originating from an age); the effects of [the] LORD's decisions (or: the results of the evaluations and judgments from [Yahweh]) [are] real, true and valid - ones having been rightwised (turned in the right direction, into the way pointed out) and remaining justified altogether (or: being put right upon the basis of itself)" (LXX, JM).
And there is Ps. 34:11,
"Come here, children, listen and hear me; I will proceed teaching you born ones the respectful awe and reverence of [the] LORD (or: from [Yahweh])..." (LXX, JM).
In Ps. 111:10 we read,
"Respect for [the] LORD (or: Reverence of [Yahweh]) [is] a beginning of wisdom..." (LXX, JM).
These verses present us with a very different picture than what is portrayed in Adam's response to Yahweh, in Gen. 3:10, above. Discerning the context where phobos is used is of utmost importance. Prov. 14:27 provides us with another positive use of this term:
"In awe and respect of [the] LORD (or: Centered in reverence for [Yahweh]) [is] strong expectation (or: an expectant hope of strength), and He continuously leaves, commensurate with the pattern, a firmly fixed support (an effect of upholding) for, in, and with, His children (the born-ones from Him)" (LXX, JM).
In contrast to these OT verses, in 2 Tim. 1:7 we find a synonymous term which corresponds to the use of phobos in the Gen. 3:10 text:
"for you see (or: for it follows that), God does not, at any point, give to us (or: did not supply for us) a spirit of cowardice (or: a Breath-effect or attitude of timidity in us; a disposition of a lack of courage, with us), but rather [a spirit, attitude and disposition] of inherent Ability, of means for Influence, and of Potentialities of Power, as well as of Love (acceptance and a drive toward reunion) and of a rescued and restored soundness in frame of mind."
No, God did not give Adam that spirit of phobos; that came from the knowledge of good and evil (law).
In Phil. 2:12, Paul instructs his listeners:
"in company with reverent fear and "trembling" (or: = earnestness and concern to behave properly or correctly), be habitually working commensurately with this deliverance which, personally, pertains to yourselves (or: be constantly producing on the level and sphere of the wholeness and well-being which are the outcome of the salvation of your own selves; or: keep on carrying to its conclusion this rescue belonging to yourselves)."
Now in the new arrangement of this new creation Life, we find the power of God's Love, which indwells us:
"Fear - in the sense of terror, dread or alarm - does not exist within the Love, but rather perfect Love (mature and complete love; love having reached its goal) repeatedly (habitually; progressively) throws this kind of fear outside, because this fear constantly has and holds a pruning (a curtailment; a checking; restraint; a lopping off - thus, a correction; [cf Mat. 25:46a]). But the person habitually fearing with dread, alarm, or terror, has not been perfected or brought to completion, within the Love (has not been brought to the destined goal of maturity - in union with Love), and continues not yet in the state of completion, at the present time" (1 Jn. 4:18).
This is what Christ, the Last Adam, has done for those of the First Adam who have been made alive in Him (1 Cor. 15:22).
But not to worry, our Father gives all His children a supportive expectation:
"Yet for the timid folks (in the cowards having shrinking palpitations) and for faithless ones (in unbelieving or disloyal people; [TR adds: and failures/sinners]) and for or by abominable, disgusting folks, and for or in murderers, and for or with prostitutes and for or by sorcerers (users of, or enchanters by, drugs) and for or by idolaters and for, in or by all the liars (the false ones): their portion [is] within the lake(or: their [allotted] part [is] union with the basin; the share from them [is] in the artificial pool; the region pertaining to them [is] centered in the marshy area) continuously burning with Fire and Deity, which is the Second Death" (Rev. 21:8).
Whoa! What?! Yes. Don't you remember that
our God is a consuming Fire (Heb. 13:29)?
You see, Paul informs us that,
"Because, forth from out of the midst of Him, then through the midst of Him (or: through means of Him), and [finally] into the midst of Him, [is; will be] the whole (everything; [are] all things)" (Rom. 8:36a).
You see,
"Indeed, everyone (or: It follows that all humanity) will be salted (seasoned and preserved) in (with; by) Fire!" (Mk. 9:49).
To this picture, add the metaphor of purification and refining, which we observe in Mal. 3:2-3.
The OT is filled with examples of people fearing. Even the NT opens with the Lord's agent appearing to Joseph, in a dream, telling him not to fear to take Mary as his wife (Mat. 1:20). When an agent appears to Zacharias, within the temple, the first thing he said to him was,
"Fear not..." (Lu. 1:13).
Gabriel told Mary not to fear (Lu. 1:30). Fear was a natural response for folks in those days. In Lu. 2:10, at the appearance of the Lord's agent to the shepherds, the first thing he said was,
"Fear not..."
That was to give ease and assurance to those shepherds, but it was also the beginning of the announcement of the Glad Tidings, which the birth of Jesus was bringing to humanity. When Jesus was making his "triumphal entry" into Jerusalem, He recalled Zech. 9:9,
"Do not continue fearing (or: Stop fearing), O daughter of Zion! Look and consider, your King is progressively coming - presently sitting upon a donkey's colt" (Jn. 12:15).
In the Unveiling from Jesus, He told John not to fear (Rev. 1:17), yet in Rev. 11:18 it speaks of,
"the ones continuously fearing Your Name"
- that is, having respect for Him, and reverencing His designation. In Col. 3:22, Paul admonished his listeners about,
"constantly being folks influenced by reverence and respect for (or, as a middle: being ones habitually engendering reverence, with respectful fear, with regard to) the Lord."
He came to take away all fear that was inappropriate for us. Respect and reverence would always remain.
Jonathan
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