Many Biblical characters received encouragement from the Lord not to be afraid. God spoke to Abraham telling him not to be afraid because He was going to bless Abraham with a child. He told Moses not to be afraid for He was going to release the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. The angel spoke to Mary telling her not to be afraid because she had found favor with God and that she was going to be with child. The angel spoke to Joseph about not being afraid to take Mary home and marrying her. Jesus spoke to His disciples about not being afraid. Instead He promised them peace. Faithful people in the Bible experienced fear in their lives, and God had to reassure them of His provision, His deliverance, and His presence to relieve their fear.
Whenever we are faced with a challenging or a new situation, we have a tendency to feel inadequate or powerless to handle it. This causes fear, anxiety, and discouragement in our hearts. Feeling the emotion of fear is natural, but if we allow it to rule us, we can operate in self-preservation. This is what we see in Saul’s life.
What have you done?” asked Samuel.
Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, 12 I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.” 1 Samuel 13:11-12
In fear of getting killed by Philistines, Saul felt compelled to offer a burnt offering. The problem was that it wasn’t Saul’s job to offer a burnt offering. That was the priest’s duty. He crossed the boundary line and disobeyed God in order to preserve himself. When Samuel the prophet found out, he told him that his action was foolish. This was one of the reasons that God rejected Saul as the king of Israel and picked David instead.
In this situation, fear compelled Saul to do something that he was not authorized to do, and he created a bigger problem for himself. When we allow fear to take control, it either has a paralyzing affect, or it can pressure us to do something that we shouldn’t.
Can you think of a situation when you were faced with fear? Did you cross a boundary line in order to preserve yourself? Or did you inquire of the Lord about it first? Were you able to hear His voice in the midst of the anguish? Did it produce good fruit?
