The Fear of Man
March 19, 2026 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement
I have never met someone who likes to be afraid. Sure, there are some people who enjoy a “horror” movie, but can that count as genuine fear? That’s a form of entertainment. To actually wake up in the morning and be afraid is something no one ever chooses. So, why are we prone to the fear of man?
Perhaps a definition would be helpful. It might seem to be an oxymoron, but the fear of man actually is over-confidence in man. Being afraid of people is only one part of the fear of man. The fear of man, as over-confidence in man, also manifests when our hopes are placed in the good mankind can do. Let me illustrate both aspects from Scripture.
The fear of man does include the actual fear of harm at the hands of another. We have seen this in our sermon series on Genesis. Jacob was afraid of both Laban and Esau. And this fear of man drove him to sinful actions. Jacob explains why he tricked Laban and snuck away with his family by stating, “Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force” (Gen. 31:31). And then when he heard that Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men, we learn, “Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed” (Gen. 32:7). Jacob manages his fear of Esau by turning to prayer, which is a wonderful example for us. Nevertheless, the fear of man was a driving factor in Jacob’s life.
On the other side, the fear of man includes placing one’s hope in the good that man can do. This is seen in Scripture when people hope in military power for deliverance. Psalm 20:7 states, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Another way to think about “trust” is confidence. The psalmist points out the contrast between putting confidence in the armed forces of man or putting confidence in the Lord. King Ahaz and the people of Judah are rebuked for this “fear of man” in Isaiah 31:1, “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord!”
In either aspect of the fear of man there is over-confidence in people, either to cause harm or to provide deliverance. Ed Welch sums this up well in his book When People Are Big and God Is Small, “All experiences of the fear of man share at least one common feature: people are big. They have grown to idolatrous proportions in our lives. They control us. Since there is no room in our hearts to worship both God and people, whenever people are big, God is not. Therefore, the first task in escaping the snare of the fear of man is to know that God is awesome and glorious, not other people” (page 95).
In order to overcome over-confidence in man, we must deepen our confidence in God. Hear God’s appeal along these lines in Isaiah 51: “I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, and have forgotten the Lord, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and you fear continually all the day because of the wrath of the oppressor, when he sets himself to destroy?” (v. 12-13). Do you hear that contrast? The Lord is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. He is all-powerful. And he cares for us. “I, I am he who comforts you.” That repetition of the pronoun adds emphasis that it is God alone who comforts. And man? He dies. He is like grass. He is weak and temporary. Why would we be afraid of man if God is for us? Why would we hope in man if God is the only one who can save and comfort us (cf. Is. 43:25 & 45:22).
Jesus highlights a similar contrast as he sends his disciples “out as sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matt. 10:16). He says, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (10:28-31). At first Jesus emphasizes the fearsome dynamic of God’s power to destroy. But then he quickly turns the focus to God’s power to care. Not one sparrow falls to the ground apart from God. You and I “are of more value than many sparrows.” The point is that nothing will happen to us apart from God’s sovereign care and plan. And if he has the power to destroy, he has the power to save. Now that is a comforting thought.
We all have room to grow in overcoming over-confidence in man. As Welch says, the first step is beholding and knowing God as awesome and glorious. May the goodness and power of God quiet the fear of man in our hearts.
