Destructive Fear

What do you suppose was the first record of fear in the Bible?

We find it in the Garden of Eden immediately after sin was

committed through disobedience to the command of God.

Please read it below:

“But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? ”The man said, “The woman you put here with me —she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Genesis 3:9-13

If you were to take the time to read all of the verses prior to this in the Bible

(don’t panic, it’s just a little over two chapters)

you would discover the story of creation including the creation of man and woman.

All that God created He declared good!

There was nothing in His creation that was bad.

The cowering fear that caused Adam to hide when he heard the voice of God was a direct result of sin.

That same theme is found throughout the scriptures:

“Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.  They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!”

Revelation 6:15-16

The fear that causes us to hide from God is not from anything within God.

 Instead, it is sin which drives the wedge between us.

Just as it caused Adam to hide from God in fear, the man who commits sin will seek to cover it up.

God does not delight in His children being afraid of Him.

Yesterday I closed the blog with a portion of I John 4:18

Here is the entire verse –

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

You and I were never created for the purpose of being punished.

Punishment is a consequence of sin and is what drives fear.

God sent His Son Jesus and He took my punishment for sin.

That is perfect love.

That is the perfect love we are called to remain in; to abide in!

That is Jesus.