Day 10 - Genesis 46:2-4 & Genesis 31:53

Do not fear

Genesis 46:2-4 - ² And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here am I.” ³ Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. ⁴ I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.”

Fear God

Genesis 31:53 -The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.

I really love God's reassuring words here to Jacob (Israel) as he was heading back to see his son Joseph whom he thought was dead. The anxiety of moving to Egypt, the fear of the Egyptians, the worries of his health and the family dynamics must have been enough to cause him to fear. And God speaks to him during his sacrifice that evening through a vision. I don't believe it is a coincidence that God spoke in response to Jacob's sacrifice that evening, in that when we worship and seek God, he meets us their to calm our fears and speak words of comfort. Flashing back to his earlier years, Jacob refers to the fear of his father Isaac as his proof that Jacob will keep his promise with his father-in-law Laban. It is an interesting idea that we would make promises by swearing on the fear of God. I think the reason promises are broken so often is because we have no fear of God.

Day 9 - Genesis 26:23-24 & Genesis 31:42

<sup>Do not Fear
Genesis 26:23-24 -

23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.”

Fear God</sup>

Genesis 31:42 -If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night.”

^{God speaks to Issac in this Do not Fear passage, encouraging him that he will keep his promise to bless Issac and multiply his offspring for Abraham's sake. Because of some issues with water wells and some of the mistreatment he is experiencing, he must have wondered what was going on. God speaks to him at night and encourages him with this promise. What an encouragement that God didn't forget him and yet what an honor to have a promise hanging on your dad. But what I love is how Isaac responded in this next verse.So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac’s servants dug a well. He worshipped God. How these verses should encourage us and lead us to worship our Father in Heaven who cares so intimately and knows when we need his help. With this same emphasis, the next passage of scripture, shows that Issac retained this understanding of fear in the right context, so much so that, it is called the Fear of Issac. May our fears be so transformed in the light of Christ that we become people who could be described as ones who fear God.}

Day 8 - Gen 21:16-20 & Ge 28:16

Do Not Fear
Genesis 21:16-20 - ¹⁶ Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Let me not look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. ¹⁷ And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. ¹⁸ Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” ¹⁹ Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. ²⁰ And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow.

Fear God
Genesis 28:16-17
When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it." [17] He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven."





When hope was gone, God hears the voice of the boy, and responds to Hagar. His words "Fear Not" are followed by a promise to make Ishmael into a great nation, but also a supernatural opening of her eyes to see as well. A great reminder that, God not only hears our cry and commands us not to fear, but to trust in him as well. Jacob gets a similar experience after he wakes, and God opened his eyes during a dream. Jacob now experiences a new understanding of the closeness of God and grows in His fear of God. I think part of the reason we don't fear God is we don't know or believe in His closeness. It is similar to the pride we experience in long periods of stability and comfort and then a windstorm or a huge thunderstorm or flooding or when a 9/11 happens, it reminds us of our smallness. God is close and sometimes we are reminded of our smallness when God shows up unexpectedly. It leads to a proper fear of a powerful, almighty and holy God.

Day 7 - Genesis 15:1 (The first Fear (Not) in the Bible...)

Genesis 15:1 -After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”

Genesis 22:12
"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

As far as what I can see, this is the first time God says to anyone, "Fear Not!" It came after a great victory, and yet, before the great miracle of a child. He is striving to be faithful and yet desiring so badly to see a child born to him. In response to his courage in defeating the armies and rescuing his nephew, God says, I am your shield, meaning I did and I will protect you. And, in response to his obedience not to take the wealth that the king of Sodom wanted to give him, he says, I will be your reward. Fear not, because I am your protector and I am you reward. I am all you need to fear. What a great reminder to us that he is both our protector and our reward. Are these not the two things that cause us the most fear? The fear of our lives being hurt seems to dominate most of our fears. But I think we also fear not having enough money to survive as well. And this next verse to Abraham (coincidentally?) is the first reference to fearing God and occurs when Abraham was in faith being obedient to God to slay his only beloved son. God proved to both Abraham and God that Abraham truly did fear God. The fear of God is the prerequisite for obedience. If Abraham did not fear God, he would not have made the three day walk to Mount Moriah. What have we not obeyed that shows our lack of fear of God?

Day 6 - Psalm 27:1

Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?

I memorized this Psalm as a little boy to encourage me when I was afraid. I love this verse and now I quote it to my kids... The answer to his questions? I shall fear only God and there is no one and nothing that I should be afraid of...

Day 5 - Acts 20:22-24

Acts 20:22-24 (NIV)
"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. [23] I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. [24] However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.


Though this verse does not explicitly say, "Do not fear," Paul is demonstrating that neither prison nor hardships nor fear of man is enough to hinder him from completing the task the Lord has given him... Paul fears God. It is clear in this verse that fear can keep us from doing God's will. What are you fearing today that is keeping you from completing the task that God has given you?

Day 4 - Luke 12:4-7

Luke 12:4-7 (NIV)
"I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. [5] But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. [6] Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. [7] Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

I love that line. Do not be afraid of those who can kill you and do no more... He is talking about eternity and that is much more important than just here and now. Again, Jesus says, fear the one who has the real power with much bigger repercussions. And yet, again, he picks something of mass, sparrows, and identifies that even in his power, his eye is on the individual. He knows, cares for us, protects and watches over us. What a great God we serve!